Revelation
by sparksfly16
Summary: "You can trust me you know. I promise." Trust. So hard to earn, so easy to lose. Fabian and Nina work together to solve the mystery surrounding them. But as secrets come undone, Nina's left wondering who's on her side and who's not. Fabian/Nina
1. The Aftermath

**Author's Note: **Why, hello! I'm completely in love with _House of Anubis_ (and the British accents don't hurt :) Anyway, I'm loving the little relationship Nina and Fabian have going on, but something seems a little off about Fabian to me. Hmm...maybe it's just me. This story is going to follow the plot of the show, but I'll definitely change some things around. Enjoy!

* * *

Nina shrugged her shoulder as she trudged down the stairs of the Anubis House. All the adrenaline and excitement she'd been running on the last couple of days had finally depleted, leaving her feeling jet-lagged and overwhelmed. Not to mention a little more than confused and spooked about the whole Joy thing; especially about the the part _she_ played in the whole mystery.

"Morning, Nina."

Fabian smiled softly from where he sat at the dining room table, appearing ever bit as awake as Nina felt tired. He passed her a muffin as she sat down, "How did you sleep?"

Nina accepted the muffin stiffly, still a little peeved at what had happened the night before. "I was almost caught by Victor," she remarked coldly. "Not that you stuck around to see."

Fabian paused, a little surprised at her bitter-filled tone. "I'm sorry, I guess I just got a little startled by all that was going on. But if I'd known it was Victor coming down, I would've made sure you got back upstairs."

Nina remained quiet, making him worry that she had still not forgiven him. However, after a few tense moments, she grinned and leaned closer to him, dropping her closed off stance, "Well you missed a good laugh; Victory completely tripped on the stair when he was looking for me. Lucky for us he didn't suspect anything."

"Ah, I was wondering what Amber was blabbering about," Fabian smiled, but it was quickly replaced with a worried glance. "Wait, is the stair completely destroyed?"

"No, but the top part is in like six pieces." She frowned, confused at why he was suddenly so frantic, "Why, is something wrong?"

"I've been thinking about the key." He looked around the empty room and lowered his voice, "It seems a bit strange that we only found a key, doesn't it? I mean, who leaves an answer without leaving a clue to follow you to it?"

"Well, maybe the key _is_ the clue."

"I don't think it is though," Fabian stopped, noticing Nina's baffled expression, "Or maybe you're right and I'm just over-thinking this. Either way, I gauge it's worth taking a second look."

"That's going to be pretty difficult," Nina replied. "Even if we can put together the pieces, we still have Victor to worry about. He'll probably be more suspicious than ever."

"Don't worry, I have a plan." Fabian stood up, brushing the crumbs off his hands. "Meet me back here at noon. Oh, and bring some glue."

* * *

Patricia sighed and closed her laptop. Something was still off about Joy's e-mail, but she just couldn't place _what_ it was. And there was no way anyone would help her they already thought she was too obsessed about it. The only person who would actually listen to her was...

"Nina!"

Her roommate froze, probably preparing for another verbal attack. Nina swallowed thickly, keeping her voice steady, "Yes?"

"Look," Patricia stood up and crossed her arms, hoping the gesture didn't come across as hostile. But judging from Nina's face, it did. She dropped her arms and repeated herself carefully, "Look, I'm really sorry about the way I've been treating you. It's just that Joy was my best friend, and it was a big shock when she left so quickly. But it wasn't fair of me to take out all my suspicions on you."

Nina pursed her lips, "Patricia, you locked me in the attic."

"I'll help you," Patricia retorted abruptly. "Victor knows the attic key is missing; I'll help you get it back in his office."

"Right now?"

"Right now," she confirmed with a nod, "No tricks, I'll even go first if you'd like."

"Why?" Nina questioned curiously. "Why help me now?"

"Because something weird is going on here; and for some reason I think you're the one meant to fix it."


	2. Secrets

**Author's Note: **Thanks so much for all the responses! I'm so excited for a full week of all new episodes, it'll definitely be interesting to see what happens next. Anyway, here's the next chapter-I tried to make it a little longer for some of you. Hope you like it!

* * *

Patricia lifted her head up towards the window, studying the scene in Victor's office. "Okay, he's still in there; we're going to have to create some sort of distraction."

Nina glanced around the hallway, her eyes landing on a medium-sized vase, "I think I've got an idea." Reluctantly, she handed Patricia the attic key, "I'm trusting you; don't make me regret it."

Patricia nodded, watching as Nina crept forward towards the vase. She snatched if off the table and hurried over to the banister, checking to make sure no one was around, before hurling it straight towards the floor.

Victor charged out of his office after hearing the boisterous crash, "What was that?"

"I'm sorry," Nina grinned sheepishly, maintaining a look of innocence. "I didn't see the vase, and I just totally tripped. I'm such a klutz."

"Well then, we'll be taking a trip to the cleaning room," Victor ordered. "The next time I look at that floor, it better sparkle like those love-sick vampires you girls are always blabbering. Oh, and try not to break any more things, or else I will make you pay for it."

Once Victor and Nina were out of sight, Patricia ducked into the empty office, making sure to keep her eye on the door as she expertly placed the key back onto the shelf. She was just about to get the heck out of there, when she noticed a laptop laying open on Victor's desk. Completely unguarded.

Patricia scanned the hall quickly before leaning down to read the screen. It was Joy's e-mail. Word for word! "I knew it," she muttered fiercely.

"I mean it young lady; thirty minutes and that floor had better be spotless."

Hurriedly, Patricia placed Victor's key ring back on his desk and tore out of the room just in time to meet him at the top of the stairs.

"Don't you have homework to do?" Victor questioned crassly when he spotted her loitering near his door.

"Yes, but-"

"Then get to it!" He sneered

* * *

Sparkle, shine, all in thirty minutes time. Nina laughed to herself as she scrubbed the floor, humming Victor's earlier commands. Hopefully, Patricia kept true to her word and got the key back in its slot, or else Nina had just placed herself on Victor's watch list for nothing. (Not to mention, having to clean off the four year-old dust that was caked on the floor). She grimaced as she dunked the soapy rag back in the bucket off water, about to ring it out when someone grabbed her shoulder.

"Ahh!"

"Nina, it just me," Fabian hushed with an amused smirk.

Nina gasped and hit him with the dry rag she'd laid over her shoulder. "Don't do that! You scared the bejeebers out of me."

Fabian grinned, "I can tell, sorry." He looked down at the spilt bucket of water and abandoned wet rag, "What I can't tell, however, is what in the world you're doing."

Nina laughed and looked at the cleaning supplies, alarmed to find water gliding onto the floor, "Oh! Victor is going to be furious," she muttered, attempting to soak up the drenched floor. "I, um, kind of knocked a vase over the banister, and now I have to clean the floor until it shines. His words, not mine."

"How did you knock a vase over?" He questioned, peering up at the rail, "I don't even remember a vase being there." Fabian shook his head, "Never mind. I came to tell you that your grandmother is on the line."

"Really?" Nina dropped the rag she was using, and rushed over to the phone excitedly. She grabbed the phone swiftly and turned to Fabian, "Could you give me a minute?"

Fabian blushed, embarrassed that he hadn't thought to leave already, "Oh, of course. Just come find me when you're ready; I'll help you finish cleaning up."

Nina nodded and smiled halfheartedly, eager for her new friend to leave. When Fabian finally did retreat into the living room, Nina cleared her throat and lifted the phone to her ear, "Gram?"

"Nina!" She could practically hear the smile on her grandma's face. "How are you doing? I haven't heard from you in so long!"

"Grandma, it's only been a couple of days," Nina laughed. "But, yeah, I miss you too. Everything's going great; I've made tons of more friends."

"Oh sweetie, that's great." Her grandma frowned, "What's on your mind-you seem distracted."

"It's nothing," Nina paused, trying to decide whether or not to confess about everything. "Did you send my scholarship forms in on time?"

"Of course," her grandma replied undoubtedly. "Why; are they giving you trouble?"

"No, everything's fine," she explained hastily, "I'm just wondering why the money transfer took so long."

"Oh, you know how those things work," he grandma dismissed airily. "Mail gets mishandled all the time-especially when it has to cross an entire ocean."

"You're right," Nina agreed quickly, regretting ever mentioning it. "I'm just over-thinking things; you know how I am."

Her grandmother laughed, "I certainly do. Alright, I guess I should let you get back to your friends. I miss you, but I'm glad you're having a good time."

Nina smiled, trying to not cry again, "I miss you too, Gram. I'll talk to you soon. Love you."

..

Fabian frowned from his hiding spot in the hallway. Why did Nina want to know about her scholarship money? It wasn't like she didn't have bigger problems to worry about. Silently, he watched her bid her grandmother good-bye and fall into the armchair by the phone. He was just about to go out and comfort her, when a cool voice cut through the room.

"We're not homesick already, are we Nina?"

Nina looked up as Jerome sauntered into the room. She hurriedly wiped the tears off her face and attempted a smile, "Of course not; why, disappointed?"

Jerome guffawed, repeating her words mockingly, "Of course not." He leaned towards her and winked, "After all, we're just getting to know each other."

Nina giggled at his flirtatious comment, but Fabian could tell how uncomfortable it had made her. "You mean, we don't know each other enough already?"

He smirked at her and headed into the kitchen, "Trust me sweetheart; _everyone_ has secrets."


	3. The Black Bird

**Author's Note: **I'm so enjoying the new episodes this week! How cute was it when Fabian gave Nina his sweatshirt? Loved it! Once again, thanks a ton for all the reviews!

* * *

Nina tried not to shudder at the conversation she'd just had with Jerome. She knew he liked to stir up trouble-and he definitely knew how to push limits-but that, that was just bizarre, even for a jokester like him. The weirdest thing though, was that now all she could picture was that eerie black bird.

"Hey," a soft voice whispered, "Are you okay?"

Nina swiped at her eyes, frustrated that Fabian had caught her crying...again. "I'm great. Are you sure there aren't any cats here?"

"Positive," Fabian held his hand out to help her out of the chair. "How's your grandmother?"

"She's doing good," Nina bent down to pick up one of the discarded rags, "I know it's hard for her to be alone, but she wants me to have the adventure of a lifetime. That's the whole reason I came here."

Fabian grinned, backing up the stairs one at a time, "Then, I guess it's time to continue our adventure."

Nina frowned, "What do you mean?"

He gestured towards the splintered step, "I mean, I talked to Trudy and volunteered you and I to fix the stair. And maybe do a little clue-hunting while we're at it."

"Well," she bit her lip, looking around the deserted house, "Since we're here."

..

"Who would've thought that gluing a stair back together was so much work," Nina smiled tiredly and brushed some sawdust off Fabian's shoulder.

"I may have slightly underestimated the damage Victor's feet are capable of." He groaned and stretched out his cramped legs, "But at least it's done."

"If there's not a clue here, I promise I'll make you spend the entire day at Sarah's," she threatened only half-kiddingly.

Fabian ran his finger along the freshly-fused cracks, "I think it should be dry by now. Shall we flip it?"

Reluctantly, Nina stood up and placed her hands under one edge of the step, "On three?"

"One."  
"Two.  
"Three!"

They hunched down on their hands and feet, feverishly studying the board in front of them. After a few moments of blank appraisals, Nina stood up and brushed her sore hands together, "I don't see anything."

"I don't either," Fabian sighed, disappointed that he'd led them down a false trail. "I'm sorry, Nina. I really thought that-" He stopped, pointing to the corner of the step, "Wait, look at that!"

Nina leaned closer, squinting at the tiny print etched into the stair, "Room 4." She turned back to Fabian, oblivious to their close proximity, "Who sleeps in room four?"

Fabian shrugged and shook his head, "Mine's room three and Jerome and Alfie have the first room."

"But," Nina furrowed her forehead, "The bedrooms upstairs are five and six. It's not the attic, is it?"

"No," he peered up the stairs, picturing the layout of the house, "If someone was numbering the rooms, that'd probably be the last one."

"Okay, so number four must be the room next to yours," Nina concluded, "Do you know what is it?"

"Yeah, it's the bathroom," he revealed, nailing the step back to the stairwell. "I don't remember anything locked in there though."

"Still," she gazed down at the hallway that led to the boys' area, "It's worth a shot."

"Alright," Fabian helped her up and hopped off the stairs. "We'll have to be careful not to get caught though; Jerome and Alfie gossip more than mothers at their children's football games." He led her down the corridor, stopping every few steps to check that they weren't being followed. When they reached the bathroom, he looked around one last time and ushered her in, "After you."

"Thank you," Nina started to smile, but it quickly fell when she entered the disheveled room. "My gosh, it looks like the closet threw up!"

Fabian blushed and kicked aside some shirts and-what looked liked-an empty pudding cup, "Why don't you look through the medicine cabinet, and I'll take the closet."

Nina looked over at the overflowing closet, grimacing as she followed the trail of dirty clothes and towels erupting from it. "Probably safer," she agreed quickly."

Shockingly, the medicine cabinet was pretty clean. Actually, it was freakishly organized. The shampoos were organized by brand, scent, and liters, and there was even an entire shelf devoted just to conditioners. (Organized by hair-shiner quality, of course). "Uh, Fabian?"

He dropped a gigantic pile of towels in the laundry basket, and peered at the shelves, "That's all Mick's stuff. Well, the last shelf is mine, but I didn't need them organized," Fabian defended, his face flustered.

She nodded, putting back the bottle of shampoo she'd grabbed. There probably wasn't anything useful in them if Mick paid as much detail to them as Fabian had said. Nina moved onto the next shelf, shaking the bottles of aspirin and vitamins. When she shook the bottle of allergy medicine, however, there was a weird rustling sound. Excitedly, she popped the cover off and pulled out a piece of paper curled around the inside of the vial. "Hey, I think I found something!"

Fabian rushed over to her, somehow managing to avoid tripping over colossal lump of food wrappers that laid in his pathway. "What is it; a clue?"

He watched intently as Nina read the paper to herself, her face transforming into a look of terror, "It's not a clue," she choked, "It's a warning."

Fabian frowned, taking the paper out of her pale hands.

_The black bird is not who you think it is,_

_He is one of you,_

_And he is watching._

"What does it mean?" He asked bewildered.

"I don't know!" She exclaimed, irritatedly. "But this isn't the clue we wanted-it's not a clue at all!"

"Hey, hey," Fabian placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down. "It's okay. As bad an idea I think it is; we'll just go back up to the attic and start over."

Nina looked ready to cry all over again, "We can't."

"Believe me, I know it's not the loveliest place, but it's the best lead we've got, so-"

"No," she interrupted, eying him apologetically. "We literally can't. Last night, Victor realized the spare key was missing, so Patricia snuck it back into his office a little while ago."

Fabian sighed, pacing to his left, "If only you had a brilliant, smart friend who thought to make a copy of the key."

Nina's face lit up, "Fabian, you didn't!"

He grinned, holding up the spare-spare key, "I did."

"Fabian, you rock!" She yelped, throwing her arms around his neck.

Fabian smiled as he hugged her, "So tomorrow, then? We can sneak up during Amber and Mick's party."

..

Victor shut his door, listening for any sounds of those noisy brats parading through the hall. When the silence finally met his satisfaction, he scowled and turned to his guest. "So tell me what you saw again."

"I didn't see anything, but someone was definitely poking around the downstairs bathroom; there's a trail leading from the door to the medicine cabinet."

Victor's perked up, "Footprints?"

"No, they weren't that clumsy. Whoever it was moved all the clothes and pizza boxes out of their way to make a clear walking path."

"What could be in the bathroom?" Victor muttered.

"I don't know; nothing significant disappeared. All the bottles were still there, and the labels weren't ripped or anything."

"Any ideas about who it was?"

"Mara was studying in the living room, Alfie was taking a nap, and Nina and Fabian were helping Trudy fix the stair. Everyone else's alibi is pretty shaky."

"Very well," Victor nodded curtly. "You can go. Tell me if anything new comes along." He picked off a feather from the crow resting beside him, "Oh, I almost forgot, I want you to stick this on the top of the attic stair. I will figure out who's been sneaking up there, and put an end to their mischief once and for all."

"Yes, sir. Oh, and about the next gathering-"

Victor sighed, "I told you; everything is set for your initiation, there's no need to worry. Now go!"


	4. Curiosity Killed the Cat

Fabian rolled his eyes as Mick and Amber danced by him. It was just like those two to throw a party for the sole reason of celebrating their reconciliation. (After only a three day break, mind you).

"Wow, Amber really went all out for this party."

Fabian turned and smiled as Nina walked over to him, "This is nothing; you should've seen their anniversary party last year." He handed her a cup of punch, "Are you all set?"

"Absolutely. You still have the key, right?" She double-checked.

He nodded, "I haven't let it out of my sight." Fabian looked out at the dance floor and cleared his throat, "I was thinking that while we're here, um, we might as well have some fun, so, uh, would you like to-"

"Nina!" Alfie jumped in front of her suddenly, "You look awesome! Wanna dance?"

"Sorry, Alfie, but Fabian actually just asked me," she replied, gesturing to the blushing boy beside her.

"Really?" Alfie gave Fabian an impressed nod before dancing off again.

"Well that was awkward," she remarked, placing her drink on the table.

"He'll probably find some other girl by the end of the night," Fabian glanced at her, "Oh, and don't worry, you don't have to dance with me; Alfie won't notice."

"No, I want to," Nina grabbed his hand and led him on to the dance floor, "You're right, we should have fun while we're here." She wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed when he shyly placed his hands on her waist, "Come on, Fabian, you've danced before, haven't you?"

"Yeah, of course," he stepped back, leading her across the floor. "You know Alfie was right; you look beautiful."

Nina blushed, "You already got me dancing; save the charming compliments for the other girls you're going to ask to dance tonight."

Fabian laughed nervously, "Considering we'll be upstairs for a good part of the night, I think you win the title of best dance partner."

"I'm honored; it can go right next to my soccer trophies back home," she grinned. "We should probably get going if we want to be back in time for the cake. Amber will definitely notice if we're gone for that; I'm supposed to help light the candles or something like that."

Fabian scanned the room quickly, "I don't see Victor, but that could mean he's roaming around the corridors."

"I guess we'll just have to find out for ourselves," Nina looked to make sure everyone was still entertained, "Okay, when we get upstairs you'll have to extra careful; it'll look more suspicious if you're caught sneaking around near the girls' rooms."

He nodded, "Right, so I'll go up first, and then you come up after a little while."

"That's the plan," she paused, looking him straight in the eyes, "Be careful."

He squeezed her hand, "You too."

..

Fabian paced in front of the attic door, turning the key over and over in his hand. He stopped and looked down the hallway, hoping that Victor was still sitting unsuspectingly in his office. The sound of light footsteps echoed off the walls, and Nina appeared at the doorway.

"Sorry," she apologized as she dashed forward, "Jerome caught me just as I was about to leave and he kept droning on about how boring the party is. Just a warning, I'm ninety-percent sure he's planning on pushing someone into the cake."

Fabian laughed, "Thanks for the tip." He held the key up for her to see, "You ready?"

She nodded determinedly, "Definitely."

Nina watched the entryway as Fabian slid the key in the slot, listening for the telltale click, "Alright, we're in-wait, what's that?" He crouched down and picked up a black feather.

Nina frowned, "Where did that come from?"

Fabian peered up at the top of the door frame, "I think it fell when I opened the door."

"The black bird is watching," she murmured, "Victor must have put it there when he saw that the key was missing. We'd better make sure to put that back when we leave."

He nodded and pocketed the feather in his sweatshirt. Silently, they climbed up the stairs, keeping their eyes peeled for any more traps. When they arrived at the panel safely, Nina slid her necklace off and pressed it into the wall.

"You know, this painting doesn't creep me out anymore," Fabian commented, shining his flashlight against the portrait, "I guess seeing the resemblance between you two makes it less disturbing."

Nina put down the tarp she'd been looking under, "Okay, I don't know whether to thank you or slap you."

"Sorry," he clarified quickly, "I meant it as a compliment."

She laughed, "It's fine; I'm just glad you didn't scream again."

Fabian smiled, shaking his head, "I'm never going to live that down am I?"

"Nope," she drawled, her eyes flickering to something behind him, "Oh my gosh!"

"What is it?" He scrunched up his forehead as she ran over to the dusty machine.

It's a phonograph," she announced, her voice foggy, "My parents used to have one back home."

Fabian instinctively reached a hand out to comfort her, jerking away when he realized what he was doing, "How does it work?"

"Um," she studied the phonograph closely, "I think you just have to crank the handle and then these cylinders start playing the recordings."

"Sounds easy enough," he grasped the crank, "Should we try it?"

"I guess," she picked up one of the five cylinders lying next to the phonograph, "Which one should we start with?"

He shrugged, "They all look the same to me."

"I'm pretty sure they're numbered somehow," she flipped each one over, "Here, this might be the first one."

Fabian took the cylinder from her and carefully snapped it in place. Slowly, he wound the handle all the way back, "Here it goes."

_"Aaahhh!"_

"Turn if off!" Nina shouted over the haunting wailing.

"I don't know how!" He frantically searched for an off switch, desperately yanking the cylinder out when he couldn't find one, "There, it's gone."

"We're so dead," she muttered, sliding her hands down her face tensely, "Victor had to have heard that-he'll be up here any minute."

Fabian looked over at the attic stairs, listening for any sign of their 'house-father' charging up the stairs, "The party's still going on, which means the music probably covered that-that...well, whatever _that_ was."

"Yeah, but Victor's office is closer to us than them," she pointed out, stuffing the cylinders in her bag, "We have to go. Now."

They threw a sheet over the phonograph, and ran down the stairs, closing the panel with a small, heart-racing creak. Fabian cracked the door open an inch and glanced around the hallway, "All clear." He pushed the door open all the way, letting Nina walk out while he shakily locked the door.

"Hold on," she held her hand out, signaling Fabian to wait before he moved any further. "I hear something."

* * *

**okay, did anyone notice on tonight's episode, the scales with all the students names on them? that really freaked me out!**


	5. Plan B

Fabian froze, "What is it?" He trailed off when the sound of footsteps reached his ears. They were heavier, though, and more determined than the sound Nina's own steps had made earlier. "Victor?" He mouthed anxiously.

Nina signaled him to hold on a second as she peeked around the corner. When she turned back to him, her face told him everything he needed to know.

"What are we going to do?" He whispered.

"Who's up there?" Victor demanded, "I can hear you moving."

It was too late to go back in the attic, Nina realized; there was no way Victor wouldn't hear the door open. Frantically, she checked around for any sort of hiding place, her eyes landing on Fabian. As Victor approached them, she paused a split-second before pushing Fabian against the door and kissing him soundly.

"Ms. Martin, Mr. Rutter, need I remind you that this is a school not a frat house," Victor hissed when he came across the scene Nina had just created.

"Sorry Victor, but you know, all these hormones flying around," Nina flashed her most charming smile, ignoring the strangled choke Fabian made.

"This has been twice in two days I've caught you being disruptive, Ms. Martin, don't make it three times," Victor warned ominously, "Now I suggest you two head back downstairs immediately."

"I have to grab some candles for the cake, actually. But I'll be downstairs in two minutes tops," she explained, slyly grabbing the black feather from Fabian, "I promise."

Victor huffed, "Very well. I expect you downstairs the next time I look. Mr. Rutter, shall we head down together?"

"Yes, sir," Fabian shuffled down the hallway hesitantly, sending her an S.O.S. look over his shoulder.

Nina sighed with relief when Victor finally left, leaving her with one last suspicious glance. She adjusted her bag apprehensively, and looked back at the attic door, almost expecting someone to pop and demand the cylinders back. Slowly, she ambled over to the door and placed the feather back atop it. As she turned to go, something at the window caught her eye.

Cautiously, she stepped towards it, pulling the curtain aside to reveal the chilling message.

_It was supposed to be you._

..

Fabian squinted at the window, "'It was supposed to be you', what are we to make of that?"

"I have no idea," Nina shivered, "but it's really creepy."

"Doesn't it remind you of that note we found in the bathroom?" He frowned, "Seems a bit strange that we always find these near the other clues."

Nina traced her hand along the window pane thoughtfully, "It's almost like someone else is leaving us a trail to help us."

"More like warn us," he corrected grimly.

"What are you two whispering about now?"

Patricia stood at the end of the doorway, watching with accusing eyes as Nina and Fabian jumped away from the window. But it was too late; Patricia ran over to them, swooshing the curtain out of her way, "Did you do this?" She accused, "Are you trying to mess with me or something?"

"No! I found this last night," Nina shrugged casually, "We were just trying to figure out what it could mean."

Patricia rolled her eyes, seeming annoyed at their cluelessness, "Really? It's pretty obvious."

Nina fidgeted nervously, scanning the hall for any of their eavesdropping roommates, "Um, maybe we should go discuss this in our room."

Silently, they made their way into the girls' room, all wearing expressions that varied from satisfied to 'where's-the-nearest-escape-route?'. Once they were all seated inside (well, except for Fabian, who was preparing to throw himself in between the two girls if things got ugly), Nina pursed her lips, "Okay, what do you know?"

Patricia laughed, sounding outraged and bitter, "My best friend in this entire world is missing, and you two have been going off on some _Bourne_ adventure," she paused, looking them both in the eyes, "I want to help."

Nina blinked, "I don't think that's the best-"

"Please!" Patricia interrupted, her eyes shining with tears, "They're all trying to convince me I'm crazy, but I know I'm not. Something's going on, and the more I try to find out the truth, the farther they bury it."

"They?" Fabian repeated confusedly.

"The teachers!" She exclaimed, "Victor, Jason, Mrs. Andrews-they even have a police officer in on it."

"The police?" Nina gawked.

"Yes," Patricia shouted, "I've tried and I've tried with nothing to show for it. You're onto something and I can help you out; that message on the window? I know what it means."

"Besides the fact that it was supposed to be someone?" Fabian remarked sarcastically.

"Look," she continued, ignoring him, "Joy was kidnapped for some reason, and now everyone is trying to make it look like she never even existed, after all, how can you report someone who isn't even real? That message in the window means that Joy wasn't supposed to be the one to disappear, someone else in this house was."

"What?" Fabian gaped at her proclamation, "I mean, they go through all this trouble to make it look as though Joy never existed, and that wasn't even their original plan?"

"It's me," Nina murmured, gripping her necklace tightly, "I was the one supposed to disappear. It makes perfect sense; that's why my scholarship money came late, and that's why Sarah gave me this necklace-she wanted to protect me."

"Nina," Fabian rested his hand around her shoulders, "That doesn't necessarily mean it's you."

"Yeah, it does," she replied flatly, "Me coming here wasn't just some coincidence, some random draw from a hat. I need to know what's on those cylinders."

"What cylinders?" Patricia asked.

Nina looked at Fabian, realizing it was time to tell the truth, "You may want to get comfortable, it's a long story."


	6. Chivalry and Jealousy Go Hand and Hand

**Author's Note: **I was kind of disappointed last night when 'Sibuna' confronted Victor about the cellar; they should realize how much danger they just put themselves in, shouldn't they? Thanks for all the reviews!

* * *

Nina groaned and sluggishly shed her school jacket, "How far away is this place?"

Fabian looked at his sweating friend, shrugging indifferently, "Trudy warned you that it was warm out. Anyway, it's not that far up."

"Wow, I think that's the first full sentence you've spoken to me all morning," She smiled uncertainly, "Is something wrong?"

"No, of course not," he replied instantly, kicking a rock to the side.

Nina stopped walking, "Is this about the other night? Because, I mean, that kiss was just to distract Victor before he could catch us, I don't expect, like, flowers and teddy bears from you now."

Fabian's sour look only deepened, "I didn't think you would. We're here," he opened the door roughly, "After you."

The bells over the door jingled as she stepped inside the store, scouring around for an employee, "Hello?"

"Back here," A young man wearing a kiddish _Hello, My Name is _**Paul **name tag stepped out to the floor. He cleaned off the cluttered counter and smiled, "Sorry, can I help you?"

"Yes," Nina placed her purse on the counter and opened it up, "My aunt found this weird, wax cylinders in her house the other day, and she was hoping to get a digital recording of them. She wants to play it at her next book club or something."

Paul nodded and picked up the cylinders, "Just one?"

"Two actually," Fabian spoke up, "My father's birthday is coming up, and I know he would love something like this."

"Alright, this should probably only take a few minutes. I'll be right back with them," Paul smiled once more, though it seemed to be directed only towards Nina this time, "Feel free to look around."

Nina and Fabian stood in silence once Paul had gone to the back room to work on the tapes. She was just about to ask him for the umpteenth time what was wrong, when her phone started to ring.

"Hello?"

"Nina, thank goodness I caught you," Patricia dashed through the throngs of people, "The strangest thing just happened."

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, ignoring Fabian's curious look.

"I'm not entirely sure," Patricia paused, "Is Fabian with you?"

"Yes," Nina answered carefully, "Why, do you want to talk to him?"

"No," Patricia replied hastily, "I need to talk to you late. Alone."

"Why alone? What's going on-" Nina frowned when her only answer was the drone of the dial tone.

"What was that about?" Fabian asked as she tucked her phone away.

Nina shrugged, "Some food emergency. Mick accidentally ate the cupcakes Amber had made for some class and she wanted to know if the we were out of eggs, before she started another batch."

He fingered the pendulum on the counter, "Why didn't she just check it herself? She's home, isn't she?"

"Um," Nina watched the pendulum swing back and forth, trying to think of a good lie, "I think she and Alfie were rehearsing lines for drama class at the park."

Fabian laughed, "That probably made Alfie's day; I'll have to ask him how it went."

"No!" She cried out, grabbing his sleeve, "I'm not sure that that's what she was doing, and you know how Alfie gets about Amber."

"Alright guys, everything's all set," Paul demonstrated how to use the recordings, explaining that they'd work on any regular music player, "I was wondering though; are these the only cylinders your aunt found?"

Nina nodded, "I'm pretty sure. Why?"

"One cylinder is missing," he laid them on the counter, "See they go one, two, three, four, six."

"That's weird," she remarked, "I guess I'll have to take a look around the house myself. Thank you, though," she smiled and handed him a twenty dollar bill.

"Do you think we left the last cylinder up in the attic by accident," Fabian held the door open for her, "Though I can't imagine how."

"No, there's definitely only five cylinders up there," she paused, "You don't think someone stole it, do you?"

Fabian's eyes widened, "You mean Victor? Why would he steal them?"

She shook her head, "I don't know, but we have to listen to these. Something on them is important enough that one's missing."

"Alright, how about we listen to them tonight?" He suggested. "I can meet you and Patricia upstairs after dinner."

"Sure," she agreed, "Just not in the attic; we're playing with fire every time we go back up there."

"Yeah, last time was a little too close for me," Fabian smiled, "I'm sorry for the way I was acting before, it's just that that message you found the other night really has me freaked out."

Nina looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"It's just, Joy was my classmate-my friend, even-and the thought that someone would want to kidnap her just really confuses me. But yesterday morning, when you thought it was supposed to be you instead of her, I got scared and angry."

She frowned, "Angry?"

"For a split second, I pictured what it'd be like for me if I never met you," he smiled again, "And I couldn't picture it. Which made me realize that, I don't want to see you get hurt."

Nina blushed, "Thanks, but I'll be fine."

"You know, I think Paul would be really upset if something happened to you," Fabian laughed.

Nina smacked his arm, "Shut up!"


	7. Pin Drop

Nina leaned against her bedroom door, a huge grin splayed across her face. After leaving the antique store, Fabian had taken her to an ice-cream shop a few blocks away that he swore sold the best ice-cream in the entire world. (Well, at least from the parts of the world he'd been to). It'd been completely perfect. Well, almost perfect, she thought when her phone alerted her to five missed calls from her roommate. Reluctantly, she closed her phone and pushed open the door, "Patricia?"

"Thank goodness," Patricia shot up from her bed, "I've been calling you all day."

"Are you glad to see me?" Nina fell down on Patricia's bed, "Something's definitely wrong."

"Haha, you're so funny," Patricia quipped. She reached over to her beside table and handed Nina a tiny business card, "Look at this."

Nina turned the card over and wrinkled her brows, "Private investigator? What is this?"

Patricia scrutinized the wall, refusing to meet Nina's questioning gaze, "When I was going to school today, I decided to take the back roads through the woods. And when I was walking through, this man came out of nowhere and starting alleging all this stuff about Joy-about how she was kidnapped and now she's in danger. I got really anxious, though, and yelled at him to get away from me. I think he could tell how frightened I was by all my fears about Joy being confirmed, so he left right away. But he left this on the ground right before, and he told me-" she faltered doubtfully.

Nina looked at her, "What did he say?"

Patricia turned towards Nina, staring her straight in the eyes, "He told me not to trust anyone but you. He said, 'that boy has other motives'."

"You think he meant Fabian?" Nina gawked, "I don't like this. The day after you find out about the hidden treasure here someone comes and claims to have all the answers? It seems kind of coincidental to me."

"He didn't say anything about the treasure," Patricia insisted, "He only wanted to know about Joy."

Nina smoothed her skirt and stood up, signaling that their conversation was over, "I just don't think it's a good idea. Promise me you won't call him?"

"Look, I'm happy to help you and Fabian on your little treasure hunt up in the attic, but let's not forget the difference between you and me," Patricia's eyes blazed with anger, "I'm trying to save a friend."

Nina glared back with an equally determined stare, "And I'm trying to protect mine."

"And who is that?" Patricia questioned bitterly, gesturing toward the window out in the hall, "Because obviously someone here is ready to watch you fall. Hard."

..

"Where are you sneaking up to this late?"

Fabian froze, his hand resting on the banister and his foot in mid-step. He turned around slowly to where Amber and Mick were standing, "Oh, I just forgot my biology book upstairs. Thought I'd get it before class tomorrow."

Amber smiled knowingly at Mick, "I bet he's going up to see Nina."

Mick grinned at his roommate, "Yeah, we heard all about your little date at our party the other day."

Fabian gaped, "How did you head about that?" He blushed, realizing what they think he must mean, "I mean, we weren't on a date."

"It's okay, secret romances are how the best of relationships get started," Amber stated.

"Oh, I don't-" Fabian paused. Secret romances, huh? He wondered if it worked the same on secret crushes. He blushed again at the ridiculous thought, "Nina and are friends, that's it."

"Sure," Amber glanced at the c.d. in his hand, "Oh, did you make her a mix-tape? How romantic! Remember our first mix-tape, beau?"

Mick smiled and his girlfriend and squeezed her hand, "Worked on it for a whole month before it was just right. It was worth every second, though."

"Aw, you're so sweet," she looked over at Fabian, amusedly noting his foot impatiently tapping, "We better go, Mick, or else he'll be in a rotten mood for Nina," she looked Fabian over, "Just mess your hair up a little, and you'll be all set to go. Have fun!"

"Good luck, mate," Mick smirked and followed his girlfriend out of the corridor.

When Fabian reached Nina's door, he paused and ran his fingers through his hair messily, thinking about what Amber had instructed.

"Finally," Patricia huffed exasperatedly and pulled him in, "Did you get lost walking up the stairs?"

Nina, who was sitting cross-legged on her bed, flashed him an apologetic smile. It was obvious her and Patricia had had a fight about something, "Is Victor in his office?"

"Yeah," he kneeled down next to Patricia's c.d. player and placed the first disc in, "Which means we'll have to keep it low in case that horrid screaming comes back."

Patricia eyed the player with some alarm, "Screaming? What's on these things?"

"I have no clue," Nina reached out to hit the play button, "But we're about to find out. Ready?"

_"I have a story,"_ the tape whizzed to life, _"And after what I just learned, it is imperative that I share it with you. There is a man named Henry living in my home. He eats meals with me, he reads the paper on weekends, he sleeps just one floor below me; completely normal in every aspect. Except he's not. He's not at all who he tries to be; he has a secret, and I know what it is. I was curious, you see, about all that time he spends by himself in the cellar, working 'til the wee hours of the morning, so I snuck down there when he was out for the day."_

The young girl took a deep breath, _"And what I found, scared the daylights out of me-and it's about to scare you too, if you're listening. He lied! He told me my parents left me; that they'd committed an awful, unspeakable crime and were on the run. What a fool I was to actually believe his lies. He took them! He took their lives for his own ever-lasting one."_ There was a soft, hurried rustling noise, _"I wait in fear for the day he takes me; when he runs out of that horrid juice he drinks and needs a new innocent. He is coming, I must go."_

_"Sarah, get to bed immediately!" _An authoritative voice bellowed, _"You have five minutes, and then I want to hear a pin drop!"_


	8. Red Flag

Fabian's eyes flickered open as he struggled to stand up. He looked around the deserted, unfamiliar room feeling dazed, unable to recall anything how he'd got here. "Hello?"

"You're here."

Nina stepped out from the shadows and smiled warmly at him. Her long hair was pulled back from her face in an simple, elegant braid, and she wore a white, silk hooded robe. It almost looked like she was glowing to him.

He gaped at her, "You look stunning."

Her twirled around for him, her smile growing wider, "I know right!" She leaned towards him, "You want to know how?"

Fabian nodded, mesmerized by her beauty, "Sure."

She pulled a small, glass bottle from behind her, "This."

He squinted at it, a little alarmed, "What is that?"

"Oh, Fabian, it's the best thing ever!" Nina gushed excitedly, "It'll keep me-us-young forever."

He flinched away from her as if she'd punched him in the stomach, "You mean, you drank that?"

"Of course," she shrugged, like he'd asked her something as normal as two plus two, "Come on, have some."

"I don't want any," he replied weakly, "Thanks for the offer, though."

Nina frowned, bemused at his refusal, "Why not? It's life-changing." She flicked the cap off and nonchalantly raised it to her lips.

"Stop!" He shouted, "Can't you see what's happening? You're addicted to it-to what it's doing to you."

"Oh, I get it," she retorted flatly, "You think I'm some hideous, out-of-control monster now, right?"

"No, it's just," he stopped, noticing the way she fiddled with the bottle, "Where did you get that?"

She tilted her head to the side, "What'd you mean?"

"On those tapes Sarah made, she said you had to take a life if you want to make the elixir," he explained as calmly as he could, "Nina, what did you do?"

Nina scoffed, "Me? I didn't do anything. But, poor Alfie here seems to have slipped down the stairs," she clucked her tongue, "Poor thing."

Fabian shudder, her guiltless tone sending him into a panic, "He was your friend."

"Chill, Fabian. It's not like I won't make new ones; I have all eternity after all," she rolled her eyes childishly, "Now, I'm getting bored. Have you decided to drink this yet?"

"No," he backed away from her, "I don't even want to look at it."

"Oh come on, Fabian," she circled around him like the predator she now was, "You can't tell me it's not intriguing. Eternal life. Eternal looks. Eternal _love._"

His tough stance faltered, "What?"

"I know you lied yesterday," she smirked, running her fingers along his arm, "Deep down, you actually wish I wanted flowers and chocolates from you. But if you drink this, I'll be all yours. Forever," she held the elixir out to him again, "Just. One. Sip."

Fabian stared at her, reaching his hand out to grab the glass. But then he saw it. Saw how her smiled seemed too charming. Her gaze just a little too eager. How her brown eyes were tinted with red. He gripped her wrist hard, "I don't want it."

..

"Fabian." Someone shook his shoulders roughly. "Fabian!"

Fabian rubbed his eyes groggily and sat up in his bed, "Patricia? What are you doing here, it's two in the morning."

"I can't find Nina," she announced worriedly, "And I thought she might be with you, but obviously she's not."

"Wait, she's missing?" He shot out of his bed and raced up the stairs, Patricia at his heels. Quietly, he pushed open the door to the girls' bedroom and rushed inside.

Frantically, he searched around, hoping for Nina to jump out from somewhere and laugh at them for being so gullible. "Where is she?"

"I don't know!" Patricia repeated frustratedly, "I woke up a couple minutes ago and she wasn't in her bed, and then I ran down to your room."

"Did check the bathroom?" There was a soft crunch when Fabian stepped forward. He lifted up his foot and crouched down next to the floor, "It's Nina's locket."

"Did you break it?" Patricia asked apprehensively.

"Really?" He handed the necklace to her, "That's what you're worried about?"

She shrugged and placed the necklace in her pocket, "Should we look downstairs?"

Fabian nodded, "Where are the flashlights?"

Patricia pulled two flashlights from the closet and handed one to him. She clicked hers on quickly, "Let's go."

..

Cautiously, the entered the kitchen, their flashlights illuminating the dark shadows. "Nina?" Patricia whispered, "Where are you?" She crept around the counter-island and jumped, her flashlight tumbling to the floor.

Fabian rushed over to her, "What is it?" He looked next to her and almost dropped his own flashlight.

Nina was passed out on the ground, her right hand laying motionless on the floor. It was the complete opposite of the alluring version she'd been in his dream, Fabian thought ironically.

He knelt down on the floor, "Nina? Nina, can you hear me?"

Patricia sat down next to him, "Fabian, she's bleeding."

He pushed some hair away from Nina's face and saw a small, deep cut above her eyebrow, "We need to get help."

Patricia handed him some paper towels and hurriedly stood up, "I'll go get Trudy. Just shout if something happens."

He nodded and gently pressed the towel against Nina's cut. Fabian checked for anymore cuts but, thankfully, couldn't find any. "What have you done, Nina?" He muttered quietly.

"Fabian?" Nina whispered hoarsely.

"Nina, thank goodness," he sighed with relief as her eyes fluttered open, "What happened-"

"Oh, dear," Trudy hurried into the kitchen, halting Fabian from asking anymore questions, "What happened, sweetie?"

"I just-" Nina trailed off, her eyes closing again making Fabian tense beside her.

Trudy inspected Nina's cut quickly, and turned to Patricia, "I need you to go get me the medicine kit in the hall, alright? Fabian, help me move her over to the couch." Fabian and Trudy each placed one of Nina's arms around their shoulders gently, and headed over to the living room to lay her back down.

"I've got the first-aid kit," Patricia declared, speedily opening it up, "What do you need?"

"A bit of alcohol and a piece of gauze a little bigger than her cut," Trudy instructed.

"Will she be okay?" Fabian asked, watching as Trudy taped the gauze over Nina's cut.

"Well, the good news is, she won't need any stitches-head injuries bleed more than others," Trudy snapped the first-aid kit closed, "But, she'll probably be a little woozy when she wakes up, so try not to overwhelm her."

"Isn't it bad that she hasn't woken up yet?" Patricia demanded distressingly.

Trudy shook her head, "She's probably pretty tried. A cut like this really takes a lot out of you," she laid a blanket over Nina, "Let's just let her sleep here for the night . You two can head back to bed; I'll watch her."

"Alright, but you'll call me if anything happens, right?" Patricia glanced at Nina one last time before, reluctantly, heading upstairs.

Fabian shuffled his feet awkwardly, "Um, Trudy, do you think I could stay down here with you?"

Trudy smiled softly, "Sure, sweetie."

"Thanks," he grabbed a pillow and laid himself down on the floor, listening to Nina's steady breathing as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**so good? bad? in between? i was debating about making this chapter, but I like how it turned out**


	9. A Thousand Words

**Author's Note: **The new episodes this week are really awesome so far. I loved when Fabian was twirling Nina around. So cute!

* * *

Fabian knocked against Nina and Patricia's door lightly, shifting against the door-frame nervously.

The door opened a crack, and Patricia appeared, her fierce stare falling when she saw him, "Hey."

"Hey," he greeted, "Is she awake?"

"Yeah," she motioned him in, "Just don't overwhelm her; Amber was here for like an hour blubbering about Mick again."

"That must've been fun," he deadpanned, "Hey, Nina."

Nina smiled a little weakly, "Hey."

He sat down at the edge of her bed, "How are you feeling? Is Patricia being nice to you?"

"Calm down Romeo, I've been perfectly civil to her," Patricia flopped down on her own bed, "Okay, Nina, now will you tell me what happened last night?"

Nina nodded and took a quick sip from her water bottle, "Last night, I was listening to the next tape and the girl on it mentioned something about a secret passageway down in the kitchen. And then I was thinking about that broken, old stove Trudy told us about, so I decided to go check it out-"

"Alone?" Fabian interrupted disapprovingly.

"It was just a hunch, I didn't want to bother you guys," she explained slowly, "Anyways, when I got to the stove, I noticed a little imprint on the side of it that looked just like my necklace. So then, I decided that I'd just wait 'til the morning, when you two would be awake, but when I was leaving someone pushed me and I hit my head on the counter," she traced the gauze on her forehead absentmindedly.

"Was it Victor?" Fabian stood up sharply, "We have to report this."

"To who? I told you, the police are in on this whole thing," Patricia reminded jeeringly. "Besides, maybe it's the freaky black-bird slash spy person you guys told me about."

Nina shook her head, "I didn't see who it was. But if it was Victor, it means he's probably even more suspicious of us. Especially since you and me haven't been arguing as much, Patricia. "

There was a shout outside the door and Fabian picked up his backpack reluctantly, "We should get going; we can talk more about this later," he turned towards Nina, "You sure you're comfortable staying here by yourself?"

She nodded, "I'll keep the door locked the whole time, and Trudy's here if I need anything."

"Oh, that reminds me; I have to talk to Trudy about the new chores schedule," Patricia threw her jacket on and dashed out of them room.

"Fabian," Nina said softly.

He turned back around, "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about last night," she rested her hands on her lap bashfully, "I know how I'd feel if I found you like this."

"It's alright," he smiled at her, "Next time though, wake me up."

..

Nina grimaced and carefully peeled off the gauze tapped over her cut. It had finally stopped bleeding a little before noon, but it still looked awful. She swept some alcohol across her cut, wincing as she laid a new bandage over it.

"Ms. Martin," Victor appeared at the doorway, "Have you seen Mr. Clark?"

"Uh, yeah," she stepped into the hall and closed the bathroom door, "He's still at school, why?"

"He was supposed to hand out the post today, but instead he throws this on the table and walks out," Victor hissed, thrusting an envelope towards her.

She glanced down at the parcel with her name scribbled across it, "What is it?"

"How should I know?" Victor huffed and stomped into his office.

"My head's feeling much better by the way. Thanks for asking," she muttered sarcastically.

..

"Ugh, you are so lucky you missed French class today," Patricia strolled into her bedroom, "Fabian thought it'd be a brilliant idea to listen to those recordings during class, and Mrs. Andrews almost took it from him. What's wrong?"

Nina frowned, "How close were Fabian and Joy?"

Patricia dropped onto Nina's bed, "They were friends-study buddies, or whatever you call it in America."

"Really?" Nina handed her an envelope, "I guess my definition of friends is a little different than yours."

Patricia furrowed her forehead and opened the envelope up, pulling a photo out. She scanned over it, her eyes widening in surprise, "Nina, I swear I had no idea about this."

Nina started to roll her eyes, "Wait, you're serious?"

"Yes," Patricia exclaimed, "Joy never said one word about this to me; where did you get this?"

Nina shrugged, "It came in the mail this morning, but-" There was a soft knock at the door. "Come in."

The door opened up, and Fabian walked in, "Hey, how are you feeling?"

Patricia stood up and pushed his shoulder roughly, "I cannot believe you!"

"Patricia," Nina said warily.

Fabian looked between the two girls, "What's going on?"

"Care to explain this," Patricia glared at him, dangling the picture up for him to see.

"What is it?" He squinted and grabbed the photo from her. It was a clear shot of him and Joy kissing, their arms wrapped around each other tightly. His eyes widened, just like Patricia's had earlier, as he flipped the photo over, silently reading the words scrawled across the back.

_If a picture's worth a thousand words, how many do I get for this?_

"Can I talk to Nina, please?" Fabian asked stiffly.

Patricia nodded crisply, "But don't think I'm done talking about this." She grabbed her bag and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Fabian sighed and sat down next to Nina, "Okay, I know what you must be thinking, but before you start assuming things-"

"I'm not assuming anything," she scorned, "I think the picture says enough, don't you?"

"It was a game. We were playing truth-or-dare, and someone dared me to kiss Joy," he explained hurriedly, "I promise you that that's it."

"I get that, but what I'm trying to figure out is," she paused, taking a deep breath, "Are you helping me out because you're my friend or because you're hoping we'll find your girlfriend?"

"Nina, she was never my-"

"I just want the truth, Fabian," she said flatly, "I need to know if trusting you was a mistake."

He grabbed her hand gently, "Look at me," he waited until her eyes were locked on his, "The first day I met you, I felt bad that everyone was being really rude to you, so I tried to be friendly so you'd start to feel welcomed. And then, as I started talking with you more and more, I started to really enjoy your company. I mean, you're funny, smart, pret-"

He stopped as Nina wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

"When I said you could trust me, I meant every word," he smiled at her.

She smiled back, "I know."


	10. Secret Alliances

**Author's Note: **Okay, who else said aw when Fabian switched the security tapes to save Nina?

* * *

"So," Patricia folded her hands on the table in front of her attentively, "What's our next step?"

Nina reached for the pitcher of orange juice and crinkled her eyes, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's been a week since your little fiasco in the kitchen, and we still haven't tried to unlock that passageway," she leaned forward eagerly, "So, when are we going to?"

"I don't know," Nina shrugged, "Honestly, I'm still a little worried about Victor." She turned to Fabian, "What do you think?"

He didn't answer her, too engrossed in the book he was reading. "Fabian!" Patricia shouted.

Slowly, he looked up, "Yeah?"

"Jeez, someone's being spacey this morning," Nina laughed and slid the book in front of her, "What are you reading anyway?"

"It's all about the history of the Anubis House," he grinned sheepishly, "I kind of did some digging around yesterday. There were a ton of old articles and journals in the stairwell cupboard."

Nina flipped through the pages quickly, "Anything interesting?"

He shook his head and opened up a new journal, "Not really. Wait, look at this!"

Patricia and Nina leaned over to look at the page he was pointing at and tried not to gasp. "Is that Victor?" Patricia whispered, breaking the silence among them.

"He looks exactly the same," Nina murmured, tracing her finger along the edges of the photo in awe.

"Nina!" Amber threw her arms around her friend and jumped up and down elatedly, "I'm so glad you're all better-that bandage clashed horribly with your uniform."

Nina laughed, "I know, it was such an inconvenience."

"Disappointed, Fabian?" Mick smirked and sat down at the breakfast table, "We all know how much you must have loved playing nurse."

Jerome snickered from the living room, "Remember that time Joy had the flu, and Fabian practically camped himself outside her bedroom door for like a week, just waiting at her beck-and-call?"

Fabian saw Nina stiffen slightly at the mention of him and Joy. He reached under the table and squeezed her hand assuredly, "That was three years ago, Jerome."

Jerome shrugged and returned to his video game, "It's still pretty funny."

"Not as funny as when Joy sneezed on your teddy bear and you completely freaked out," Fabian replied swiftly.

"Okay," Nina stood up as everyone laughed at the memory, "The American is starting to feel out of the loop, so I'm gonna go."

"Hold on, I'll walk with you," Fabian pushed his chair in and followed her out the door, ignoring Amber's comment about how cute he and Nina are.

"So," she glanced at him bluntly, "Are you going to ask me?"

He looked at her confusedly, "Ask you what?"

"I don't know," she admitted with a laugh, "But I can tell you're being sneaky about something."

"Okay, you got me," he smiled at her, "I was thinking more about that portrait up in the attic, and I thought that maybe you should considering asking your grandmother about it."

"I don't think so," she gave him an apologetic shrug, "If Victor is on to us, I don't want to get her involved in this. She's the only family I've got left."

Fabian nodded, "That's fine, it was just a thought." He shifted his backpack onto his other shoulder, "Do you want to listen to the last tape tonight?"

"Or, I was thinking maybe we could try to open the passageway," she suggested slyly.

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?" He asked worriedly.

She nodded, "Definitely. I've been so bored stuck up in my room all week."

"I know, the lack of danger must be excruciating," he laughed and opened up his locker, "How about tonight, after lights out?"

"Sounds good," she agreed excitedly, "Meet me at the stairwell."

..

Patricia sighed and anxiously tapped her fingernails against her cell phone. She glanced down at the screen again, checking for any new messages or missed calls. Just as she was about to hit redial, there was a loud snap and Patricia whirled around, "Hello? Who's there?"

"Hello, Patricia." A man in a long, black trench coat stepped out onto the sidewalk beside her, "I apologize for my tardiness, but I had to be certain you came alone."

"You told me to didn't you?" She huffed and dropped her phone into her bag, "Now, what do you want?"

He seated himself on the park bench near them, and waited for a frazzled-looking nanny and the two screaming kids with her to pass by. "First off, I'd like to thank you for calling-I wasn't quite sure you would. My name is Rene, by the way, and I'm going to need your help-"

Patricia sat down next to him, "With what?"

"I know all about your friend's disappearance. It's Joy, right?" He waved his hand casually, as if the simple fact of her name didn't matter to him, "The point is, I'm trying to find her."

"Why?" Patricia demanded fiercely, "What does Joy matter to you?"

Rene laughed, a big, full, hearty-har laugh, "I underestimated you, Patricia." He stopped laughing abruptly, "Look, I don't need you to believe me-"

"But you do need my help," she interrupted haughtily, "And I have every right to refuse."

"That's true, I suppose," he nodded and stood up, "Alright then, might as well say good-bye to your friend. I was her last hope, after all."

"Wait!" Patricia grabbed his arm, "What would I have to do?"

"First, you'll need to let go of my arm," he yanked his arm out of her grip quickly, "Second, I'll need a picture of your friend; and you have to call me if anything happens in the house. _Anything. _Understand?"

Patricia hesitated, "If I do that, you're sure you'll be able to find Joy?"

He smiled cunningly, "Absolutely. Now, are you in?"

..

Victor closed his door angrily and stormed over to his desk, "What happened? Everything went exactly according to plan!"

"I don't know. Maybe she just hasn't opened the letter yet. Or, maybe-"

"No, she's opened it," Victor interrupted, "So why then, are those three still plotting and planning?"

"Sir, if I could, I might have an idea. Though, it'll take a little while to work."

"If it works, I'll take it," Victor nodded and sat down in his chair, "Now onto more important matters, are you all prepared for your initiation Saturday?"

"Yes, everything is set to go. Though sir, I meant to ask, are you the one who pushed Nina last week?"

Victor smiled darkly, "I think you know the answer."

"But weren't you worried that you could've seriously hurt her?"

"Believe me, when you've lived as long as I have, you learn the difference."


	11. To Life

Nina crept down the stairwell slowly, her long hair falling over her face. A quiet creak echoed from somewhere downstairs and she froze.

"Nina?" Fabian shined his flashlight on her frightened face, "Everything okay?"

She nodded and turned on her own flashlight, "Yeah, I just thought I heard something." She hurried down the stairs to him, "Patricia got in a few minutes before lights out, so I thought I'd just let her sleep."

Fabian grinned, "Then it'll be just like old times."

Nina laughed, "And by old times you mean two weeks ago when Patricia was still accusing me of kidnapping Joy?"

"Wow, times have really changed," he smiled jokingly and stepped aside, "Lead the way."

She glanced up uneasily at Victor's darkened office window, before creeping quietly into the kitchen. They ducked down in front of the old stove, and Fabian watched as Nina pressed her locket onto the handle. Slowly, the top slid away, revealing a series of stone steps covered in darkness. Nina tucked her necklace back under her shirt and looked at him apprehensively, "Should we go down?"

He shrugged complaisantly, "If you're still up to it."

Nina smirked and wrapped her hair up in a messy ponytail, "Believe me, I can handle it." She started down the steps eagerly, her face a mask of determination.

Fabian gulped and reluctantly chased after her, "Nina? Slow down!"

..

Fabian coughed and pushed another cobweb away from his face. He swiped his flashlight along the walls, illuminating the bugs crawling along them. In front of him, Nina stopped suddenly and turned towards him, "This is it." Cautiously, she turned the old doorknob, wincing as it squeaked open.

He followed her out of the passageway, peering around the dingy room, "I think we're in the cellar."

"Or the chem lab?" Nina replied, gesturing to the table near her covered with suspicious-looking beakers and tubes, "What is this stuff?"

He picked one up and sniffed it disgustedly, "I don't know, but it's making me appreciate Trudy's cooking more than ever."

Nina shined her flashlight against the beaker to study it closer, "You should probably put it down; for all we know it could be poisonous."

"Good idea," he set it back down and looked around the rest of the cellar, "Hey, look at that-more hieroglyphics!"

She glanced at him excitedly, "Do you know what it says?"

"No, sorry," he grinned, "My Egyptians a little rusty."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she smirked, "I just thought all that time you spend 'researching' might actually turn out to be useful."

"Hey, there's no need-" He was cut off by the sound of a door closing, "What was that?"

Nina clicked her flashlight off, "It has to be Victor." Speedily, they ran back to the passageway, keeping the door open a crack.

Victor thumped down the stairs, grumbling something about Alfie's latest prank under his breath. Nina's heart raced as he surveyed the seemingly empty room, his eyes scanning right over their hiding spot. Victor flipped on the light switch and ambled over to the lab table a little crookedly.

"What's wrong with him?" Nina whispered, noting the unevenness of his breathing.

"Ah," Victor picked up the beaker Fabian had been looking at before and swirled it around weakly, "So much effort, so little left." His hands wobbled as he raised the glass up to his lips, tossing back the contents swiftly. Almost immediately, his shoulders rolled back with a sickening crack and he grunted in pain. He leaned against the table for support as quivers convulsed through his body, and let out a hair-raising scream.

Fabian gaped when Victor stood back up. The old man looked different. He appeared healthier. Stronger. Almost glowing, just like Nina had in his dream.

Victor smiled, pulling something from the pocket and placing it down on the table, "It's almost your turn, dear. Enjoy what little time you have left." And with that, he readjusted his waistcoat and sauntered back up to the main house.

"Okay," Nina remarked as the door closed shut, "That was scary."

Fabian walked back over to the table, "This must definitely be the elixir we heard about."

"Don't touch it!" She snapped as he brought the beaker closer to his mouth, "You saw what happened to Victor when he drank that."

"I'm not going to drink it," he replied calmly, "But we should probably take some to test."

"I don't know," she eyed it warily, "Victor has something planned for when it runs out and I don't want to speed that up."

Fabian nodded and placed it down, "What was the thing in his pocket? I mean, it looked like-"

"You two have a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

**any guesses? sorry it's on the shorter side**


	12. And Then There Were Four

**Author's Note: **There were a lot of good guesses, but I don't think anyone got it correct. Oh, and how cute was Fabian on his bike a couple night's ago? No? Maybe it's just me lol.

* * *

"Do I need to repeat myself? Because I'm not afraid to scream."

"Okay, Amber, just relax," Nina held her hand out before the girl actually did start screaming, "How did you get down here?"

"I followed that weird passage in the kitchen," she replied easily, "And it was gross, mind you. Trudy really needs to dust down here."

"Amber, Trudy doesn't know about this place," Fabian explained, "Now, we really need to get back upstairs."

Amber stood in front of the door and crossed her arms determinedly, "Not until you tell me what you two are doing down here."

"Um, we're on another secret date," Nina said unconvincingly, reaching for Fabian's hand.

"Oh, please," Amber rolled her eyes, "I'm not an idiot; who has a date in a creepy, old cellar?"

"Fine," Nina sighed and loosened her grip on his hand, "We'll tell you. But not here; Fabian's right-we need to get back upstairs.

..

Patricia scowled and sat down on her bed, "I can't believe you told Amber everything!"

"I had to," Nina insisted hurriedly, "She followed me and Fabian down into the cellar."

"Still, she's got the biggest mouth in this whole house," Patricia sighed and stood up, "I guarantee you she's going to make up some stupid club name for all of us, and probably start forcing us to-"

The door swung open and Amber flounced in excitedly, "Oh good, you're all here! I have something super important to tell you."

"I'm not joining in on any silly chant you've come up with," Patricia declared stubbornly.

"A club chant?" Amber's face lit up, "Why didn't I think of that? We could have secret code names and-"

"Amber," Fabian interrupted, steering her back on course, "What were you saying?"

Amber frowned, "Oh, right. Anyway, I was thinking about all that stuff you guys told me about last night, and I remembered that when I first came here there was some dusty, old books hidden underneath one of the floorboards in my room. So this morning, I went to go see if they were still there, and ta-da!" She pulled a plastic bag with three worn-out books in it from her purse.

Patricia crinkled her eyes, "Um, why is it in a plastic bag?"

"Because it's dirty," Amber replied simply, emphasizing the _duh_ in her tone. She looked at Nina eagerly, "So do you think these will help?"

"I'm not sure," Nina grabbed the bag from Amber and placed it on her lap, "But they're definitely worth looking through."

Amber nodded, "Now, back to the whole codename thing. Obviously, I have dibs on Posh Spice. I think Fabian could pull off 'The Hawk'. Oh, and Nina, you'd be perfect for 'The American'."

..

"Nina!"

Nina looked up from her magazine and smiled at Fabian, "Oh, hey. What's up?"

He sat down next to her on the couch and opened up his school bag, "I just finished reading those books Amber gave us, and you'll never believe what I found."

Nina raised her eyebrows, "Wait, you already finished reading all those books? Amber just gave them to us like two days ago."

Fabian blushed, "Yeah, well, they were pretty interesting. Anyway, it turns out that the original owners of the Anubis house were a married couple who had a daughter named Sarah."

"Sarah?" Nina repeated, "Like Sarah from the old folks home! So that explains her connection to the house."

He nodded, "It gets weirder, though. See the couple were archaeologists, and they were both on the excavation team that discovered King Tut's tomb. But, when I tried to look up their names, all these articles about some international court case came up. According to the articles, the couple stole something from the tomb. But before they could be charged, they just disappeared."

She took one of the articles from him, "Well, what did they take?"

Fabian shrugged, "I couldn't find that anywhere; it just says 'an unique, unidentified object'."

"What could be so important that they'd steal it?" She wondered aloud.

"I don't know," he paused, "But I might know someone who does."


	13. Dark Matter

"Uncle Ade?" Fabian stepped inside the tiny shop, eying the massive pile of boxes stacked near the door warily, "It's Fabian."

"Fabian?" His uncle set down the painting he'd been inspecting and walked over to his nephew, "Good to see you boy!" He spotted Nina lingering near the door, "Oh, and you've brought a girl! This is a first!"

Fabian coughed awkwardly, "Uncle Ade, this is Nina."

His uncle's eyes widened, "_The_ Nina? Are you two stepping out?"

"Stepping out?" Nina questioned.

"It's a British term," Fabian explained hastily, "And no, we're not."

"Oh, pity, you two go so well together," his uncle shrugged and held out his hand, "It's great to meet you, though."

Nina smiled and shook his hand, "You too. Honestly, I was a little afraid you wouldn't like me."

"Nonsense," he waved his hands, dismissing the thought immediately, "Now, Fabian tells me you have some questions for me."

"Yes," she cleared her throat and pulled out the article Fabian had found online, "We were wondering if you knew anything about a missing artifact from King Tut's tomb. It says here that the item disappeared with the people who stole it."

"Ah, yes," he pushed his glasses up and scanned the print-out, "That court case was quite the cover-up; no one ever confirmed what exactly was stolen. But, there have been whispers every now and then that it was the cup of Ankh."

Fabian frowned, "The what?"

"The cup of Ankh," his uncle repeated, "It's said that when drunken out of properly, the cup grants eternal life."

"Eternal life," Nina murmured, "Do you have any papers about the cup?"

"I'm afraid there's not a lot on that specifically," he replied apologetically, "However, I do have one book that mentions it briefly. Would you like to see it?"

She nodded, "Yes, please."

"Tell you what," he handed Nina the book and gestured toward the stove in the behind him, "I'll let you keep the book, if you'll stay for dinner. I make a mean chicken-pot pie."

"Uncle Ade," Fabian spoke up, "I don't know if we can stay-"

"Come on, Fabian," Nina smiled and tucked the book in her bag, "It'll be fun."

..

Patricia glanced around the empty hall and quietly shut her door. Checking her phone, she shoved on her winter jacket and crept down the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

Amber strolled in from the kitchen, glaring at Patricia suspiciously.

"Oh, um," Patricia smiled casually, "Just going out for a bit of fresh air-it's a little stuffy in here."

"I know you're lying," Amber pursed her lips, "And if you don't tell me the truth, I'll tell Nina you're keeping something from us."

Patricia rolled her eyes and glanced at the clock, "Fine. Get your jacket then; you're coming with me."

Amber hesitated, "If you're doing something weird-"

"I'm not," Patricia insisted, "Now are you coming or not?"

..

"It's freezing out," Amber whined loudly, "Why couldn't you meet this guy somewhere warm?"

"Well, I'm so sorry Amber," Patricia apologized sarcastically, "Next time someone sets up a private meeting with me, I'll make sure it's in a nice, crowded cafe for everyone to see."

"I'm just saying, it's a bit of an inconvenience," Amber sighed and looked around the empty woods, "What does this guy look like anyway?"

"I don't know," Patricia said impatiently, "Blue eyes, kind of tall."

"And why can't Nina know about him?" Amber asked.

"She just can't, alright!" Patricia snapped, "This is about Joy-my friend, not hers. She doesn't even know Joy."

Amber adjusted her headband and looked at Patricia, "Do you think Nina and Joy would be friends if they ever met?"

Patricia snorted, "I doubt it; they'd probably get into a fight over Fabian or something."

"Fabian?" Amber frowned, "I didn't know Joy fancied him."

"She wouldn't admit it," Patricia replied undoubtedly, "But I could tell she was start to crush on him."

"Really?" Amber mulled the idea over in her head, "Who do you think he'd choose?"

"Seriously?" Patricia laughed, "Fabian couldn't tell someone liked him even if they threw themselves at his feet."

Amber giggled, "He'd probably trip over them."

"I hate to interrupt this little gossip-fest, but I do have other places to be," a cool voice sliced through the air.

Patricia looked over as Rene emerged from the trees, "You're late."

"And you're not alone," he replied, glaring at Amber, "I thought I told you to come along."

"You did," Patricia agreed quickly, "But I trust Amber-she won't say anything."

Rene continued to stare at Amber in distrust for a few more seconds, before looking at Patricia, "She seems ignorant enough. Now, what do you need to talk to me about?"

"Last night, I was sneaking around in the cellar after curfew," Patricia glanced at Amber, silently telling her to play along, "And when I was done there, I noticed this strange looking drink. But before I could get a good look at it, Victor came down and drank it. So now I'm wondering if maybe its an-"

"Elixir?" He finished eagerly, "You've seen the actual elixir?"

She nodded, "I think so. Why? Does it have something to do with Joy?"

He grabbed her shoulders roughly, ignoring the question, "You must get it to me! Do you understand?"

"Let go of me," she ripped herself out of his grip and stood next to Amber, "I think you're forgetting how this works; you're priority is to find Joy, not obsess over some stupid elixir that doesn't even relate to her."

"What if it would though?" Rene asked, "Help Joy, I mean."

"Um, didn't she just ask you that like a minute ago?" Amber pointed out.

"It'll help, okay? It'll help Joy," he glanced around frenziedly, "So you have to get it for me! You must!"

* * *

**who doesn't love uncle ade? i'm not positive on how his name is spelled, it's very british haha**


	14. Fool Me Once

**Author's Note: **No new episodes this week? This is outrageous, I need to know what happens next!

* * *

Nina sat down next to Fabian at the kitchen table and looked around to make sure no one was watching them, "So what's the book say?"

"Basically what my uncle told us," Fabian shrugged and handed her the book to look at, "If you drink from the cup, you're given immortality."

She skimmed through the pages quickly, "It was really nice of him to give this to us."

"I could tell he really liked you you know," Fabian remarked.

"He was really sweet," Nina paused, "Even though I had no clue what he was saying sometimes."

Fabian laughed, "All those British sayings?"

"Yes!" She laughed too, "Like what was that whole stepping out thing?"

"That?" He shook his head, "It was nothing."

"Fine, if you don't want to tell me, I'll ask someone else," she smirked and stood up, "Trudy!"

"Alright, I'll tell you," he blushed as she sat back down, "Stepping out means, uh, _dating_."

"Oh." An awkward silence fell between them, "You mean, he thought I was your girlfriend?"

"Yeah. But, I know we're just friends. I mean, us dating? That's ridiculous," he hesitated, "Right?"

Nina looked him in the eyes, "Is it?"

He blinked, surprised, "I-"

"Nina!"

Amber ran into the dining room, bumping into the table accidentally, "I need to talk to you right now. Alone."

Fabian glanced at Nina one more time and stood up slowly, "That's fine. I'm going to go to the school to do some research. Just, uh, call me if you need something."

Amber looked at Nina as Fabian walked away, "Did I interrupt something?"

"I don't know," Nina sighed frustratedly, "Sometimes he's just so closed off. Anyway, what do you need to talk to me about?"

Amber glanced upstairs warily, "It's about Patricia."

Nina raised her eyebrows, "What about her?"

"Okay, so this afternoon when I was doing my nails, I heard Patricia sneaking out of the house. And when I tried to ask her what she was doing, she told me to come with her. So we ended up in this clearing in the woods by school, and there was this really weird guy there," Amber leaned closer and lowered her voice, "They were talking about the J-O-Y thing."

Nina frowned, confused, "What were they saying?"

"Well, Patricia told him about that weird life-potion thingy you found in the cellar the other night. And then, he started like freaking out," Amber revealed, "He was all 'you must get it to me. You MUST!"

Nina's eyes narrowed, "Wait, you're saying Patricia told someone about the elixir? Is she stupid?"

Amber shook her head, "She was totally in charge. He practically had to beg her before she agreed to get him some of that stuff."

"What?" Nina stood up quickly, her chair flying back, "She's going to give this guy the elixir?"

Amber shrugged, "That's what it sounded like to me."

Nina grabbed her school bag and stormed out of the house angrily, "If you see her, tell her to run."

..

"Psst."

Fabian looked up from his notes and glanced around the empty classroom. Who else besides the teachers or the occasional football player would be at the school on a Friday afternoon? It was probably just a leaky pipe or something. He shook his head and concentrated back on his notebook.

"Fabian..."

He leapt up instantly-that was _not_ the pipes. Someone was definitely in the room with him. Slowly, he peered around the nearest lab table, "Hello?"

"Boo!"

Fabian yelped and jumped backwards, "That was not funny!"

Nina laid on the floor, laughing so hard she was gasping for air, "Sorry, you just looked so focused."

He helped her up and sat back down, "What are you doing here anyway? I thought Amber was talking to you about something."

"She was," Nina's face darkened slightly, "And now, I'm waiting for Patricia to get home so I can scream at her."

Fabian paused, "Patricia? What did she do this time?"

"A couple weeks ago, this private investigator contacted her about Joy's disappearance. It sounded a little fishy to me, so I had her promise me that she wouldn't call him," she sighed, "But now, Amber just told me Patricia snuck out to meet someone-who I'm assuming is the same man-and told him she'd get him some of the elixir from the cellar."

"Don't worry," he placed his hand over hers comfortingly, "Your locket is the only thing that opens up the passageway, so without it she can't get down into the cellar."

"That's true," Nina noticed their intertwined hands and blushed, "So, um, how's the research going?"

Fabian glanced at his forgotten notes disappointedly, "I can't find anything. Apparently when you search eternal life on the computer, the only thing that comes up is used copies of _Twilight_," he sighed and packed up his notebook, "We really need to find the next clue."

"Yeah, we do," she agreed, "But all we have is that key, and still no idea what it goes to."

"Well, that's a start," he replied a little confidently, "Maybe we could start searching around for the keyhole."

She nodded, "Alright, I can look for something in the attic tonight-I'll just sneak up after dinner."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He grinned, "I'm coming with you."

"Oh, you don't have to," Nina stammered hastily, "I feel like I'm taking up so much of your time; I mean, you probably have homework and...wrestling."

"Wrestling?" Fabian laughed, "Trust me, you're a lot more interesting than any of those things."

Nina looked at him softly, "Really?"

He blushed, "Yeah."


	15. Divided They Fall

"Hey, do you want to watch a movie tonight?" Amber spritzed some of her latest perfume on her wrist and turned to Nina, "Trudy said we can order something from cable."

"I can't, sorry. I'm going up to the attic to look for some more clues," Nina held up a pair of faded jeans from Amber's closet, "Can I borrow these sometime?"

"Sure." After a moment's thought, Amber ran over to Nina happily, "Wait; are you going on hot date tonight? It's with Fabian, isn't it?"

"No Amber," Nina rolled her eyes, tired of the constant interrogating she received about her and Fabian, "I told you, I'm going up to the attic. That's all."

"Is Fabian going with you?" Amber questioned.

"Yes," Nina said, trying to sound indifferent.

"Well then," Amber smirked and sprayed Nina with her perfume bottle, "Have fun!"

..

Nina glanced around the empty hallway and skillfully unlocked the attic door with Fabian's spare key, "Alright, where should we start?"

Fabian looked around the cluttered attic, feeling a little overwhelmed, "The panel seems like a good place."

"Right," she pressed her locket against the wall and waited for it to slide open, "After you scaredy-pants."

He blushed, "I told you, that painting doesn't scare me anymore now that the eyes don't, you know, glow."

She laughed and stepped inside the hidden room, "I'm just messing with you. So, do you see anything that looks like the keyhole?"

"Maybe this," he walked over to a wooden chest in the corner of the room and inspected it disappointedly, "It's unlocked."

"Then it can't be that," her eyes landed on the old, forgotten phonograph, "I think I might have an idea though."

Nina quickly pulled the tarp off the phonograph and knelt down next to it, searching for a keyhole. She finally spotted one hidden on the side, that looked like the perfect size and shape for the key they'd found. Slowly, she placed the key in and turned it, smiling when she heard a soft click, "Fabian, look at this!"

He hurried away from the locked cabinets he'd been studying and sat down next to her, watching as she pulled out a cylinder from the disguised side pocket, "Is that the missing cylinder?"

"It must be," she turned it over in her hands thoughtfully, "But it looks kind of weird; the packing seems different from the ones we found before."

Fabian frowned, "Maybe it's from another set."

"I think I can just," she twisted the cap cautiously, smiling as it popped off easily, "Do that."

"You genius!" He hugged her so enthusiastically they almost fell over, "What's inside?"

"It's a piece of paper," she pulled it out and unfolded it carefully, "With a clue!"

"Yes!" He hugged her again and looked at the clue, "What does it say?"

"'The only place where left is right. Admired all the time, though never for who I truly am'," Nina set the paper down and looked at Fabian, "What does that mean?"

..

Nina stopped outside her bedroom door and looked down at the latest clue in her hand. She could hear music blaring from her room, which meant Patricia was finally back from wherever the heck she had been. With a last thought, Nina hid the note in her pocket and pushed open the door.

"Hey," Patricia turned off her music, "Where have you been?"

Nina threw her sweatshirt on her bed and sat down frigidly, "Just around."

"Oh, someone's in a bad mood," Patricia said jokingly, "Was Fabian acting weird again?"

"I know," Nina replied flatly.

Patricia's gaze faltered, "Know what?"

Nina crossed her arms determinedly, not in the mood for any half-hearted denials, "That you met with that private investigator today. And told him about the elixir!"

"Did Amber tell you that?" Patricia scowled, "She promised she wouldn't say anything."

"And _you_ promised you wouldn't call the investigator!" Nina reminded her angrily, "Or did they already brainwash you like they did with Mr. Winkler?"

Patricia flinched at the mention of her former-ally's name, "This has nothing to do with him-Renee is one of the good guys!. He's helping me find Joy, unlike you."

Nina laughed incredulously, "What do you expect? For me to just open up a door and find Joy waiting behind it. Honestly, I'm surprised you and her were actually friends-she must be as mean as you are."

"She was one of the best friends a person could have," Patricia shot back, "Just ask your little geek-chic crush Fabian!"

Nina's eyes widened, "You read me diary?"

"What is going on?" Amber and Fabian rushed into the room, "I can hear you two from my bedroom."

"We were just discussing the room situation," Nina replied coolly, her eyes never leaving Patricia, "And I think it'd be better if I slept in the living room for a while." She grabbed a blanket off her bed and brushed past her friends without another word.

"Nina, wait!" Amber ran after her friend worriedly.

Fabian sighed, "Why are you always so hard on her, Patricia?"

"Me?" Patricia scoffed, "I know you can't tell, but she'd obviously still hung up on the whole you and Joy thing."

He frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Patricia rolled her eyes, "Figure it out for yourself brainiac."

..

Down the hall, Victor heard a door slam loudly and watched as Nina came running down the stairs, Amber not far behind. He smiled to himself as Amber tried multiple times to calm Nina down, "United they stand, divided they fall."


	16. Temptations Around Us

**Author's Note: **Two more days until House of Anubis is back! Who's excited?

* * *

"Alright, so she likes Bryson but he's completely clueless about it," Amber repeated for about the tenth time.

"Yeah," Nina nodded and grabbed some popcorn, "They hang out all the time, but he never gets the hint. Typical boy."

"Hm, reminds me of you and Fabian," Amber said with a smirk.

"Amber," Nina shook her head at her friend's confident face, "How many times do I have to tell you? Fabian and are just friends."

"Whatever you say," Amber muttered mockingly, "All I know is, denial is the first step to acceptance."

Nina laughed, "That's recovery Amber." She laid down on her elbows as the credits to the episode flashed across the television screen, "Are you sure Mara's okay with switching rooms for the night?"

"Yeah, she was probably more than happy to," Amber glanced at Mara's empty bed, guilt shining in her eyes for a second, "Her and I haven't been on the best of terms lately."

Nina smiled at her softly, "You guys will make up soon, don't worry."

"Yeah," Amber agreed, though it was clear that she _didn't_. She took a sip from her water and looked at Nina seriously, "Are you going to talk with Patricia tomorrow?"

"Not if I can avoid it," Nina sighed and traced her finger along the carpet, "What do you think I should do?"

"I think you should talk to her," Amber shrugged lightly, the answer simple to her, "What she did was wrong, but you can't blame her reasons for it. I'd do the same if it were you."

"That's the thing though. Joy seems to keep coming up," Nina admitted earnestly, "With Patricia, with Fabian. And it just makes me wonder if they're friends with me because they like me, or they think I know something about Joy."

Amber was silent for a few seconds, "Look, I'm not really good at this whole life-advice thing-that's more Trudy or Mara's thing. But I do know that if you keep worrying about that, you'll never be able to fully trust anyone in this house."

"Believe me, I want to, but I just can't," Nina said truthfully, "Not after what happened today."

"Patricia and you are friends," Amber replied doubtlessly, "Don't let one stupid mistake ruin that like I did with Mara."

Nina smiled, "Thanks Amber." She shut off the television and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, "We should probably get some sleep."

Amber murmured her agreement and the two feel into a slumber-filled silence.

"You know," Amber spoke up sleepily a few minutes later, "Fabian's your friend because he's in love with you, not because of Joy."

Nina rolled her eyes at everyone's never-wavering belief about Fabian's supposed attraction toward her, "Goodnight Amber."

..

Fabian walked into the eerily-quiet living room the next morning, instantly realizing Nina and Patricia had not made up yet. The two girls were seated in separate rooms, ignoring the each others presence completely. He sighed to himself and walked over to Nina at the kitchen table. "Morning," he greeted.

"Hey," she smiled and clicked her I-pod off as he sat down with her, "Did you just wake up?"

He grabbed an apple from the bowl in front of him and shook his head, "I've been thinking about the latest clue and I-"

"How can you even think about the clue right now?" She interrupted astonishingly, "All I'm worried about right now is trying to figure out a way to guard my necklace before Patricia tries to steal it to sneak into the cellar."

Fabian smirked at Nina, a little amused at the fierceness in her voice, "You can't stay mad at her forever you know?"

She sighed, "I know, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to forgive her yet. It's too soon."

"And you don't want to solve any more riddles until you can, right?" He assumed undoubtedly.

She sighed again, feeling extremely childish, "Right. But, I mean, you can still work on the clues yourself. I know how much you love it."

He looked at her thoughtfully from across the table, "Alright, but I hope you're not long. No one can do everything by themselves."

Nina smiled at him, knowing her was referring to her more than himself, "I'm starting to figure that out myself." She stood up and slipped her jacket on, "I'm going to go visit Sarah," she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, "Call me if you need anything."

..

"Sarah?" Nina pushed open the elder woman's door quietly, "It's Nina."

"Nina!" Sarah smiled briefly, before glancing around the room wildly, "Did you bring someone with you? They mustn't see your locket! Hide it, quickly!"

"Sarah, everything's alright," Nina assured her quickly, "I came alone; I wanted to talk with you about something."

"Oh," Sarah leaned back in her chair, "Of course, what is it dear?"

Nina sat down next to Sarah, "It's about one of my friends. She broke a promise to me, and now I don't know if I can trust her anymore. Everyone's telling my to forgive her, but I just...can't."

"Friends," Sarah closed her eyes, a dreamy expression coming across her face, "I used to have friends; friends who knew my secret even! But eventually, they all gave in. Rufus...Victor...The temptation is too strong."

Nina knitted her brows together, "What temptation? The elixir?"

Sarah nodded solemnly, "The thought of eternal life is too promising to most people. You're lucky your friends are so strong."

"Are they?" Nina questioned quietly, "How can I be sure they won't betray me?"

Sarah smiled knowingly at her, "I can't answer that for you, only you can."

"But how?" Nina repeated, "Sarah?" She smiled, realizing the old woman had fallen asleep. Slowly, she draped a blanket across Sarah and headed out the door, "Thanks Sarah."

..

Patricia heard a muffled ringing and searched around her bedroom for her phone. The ringing stopped just as she checked her desk draw, finding it empty besides a few age-old bottles of nail polish. Stumped, she waited for more rings before continuing to look throughout the room. Finally, she found it laying dejectedly under her bed, "Hello?"

"Have you got the elixir yet?" A gruff voice answered.

"Good morning to you too," Patricia greeted sarcastically, "And no, I haven't got it yet."

"What?" Renee shouted angrily, "You told me you'd get it to me by tomorrow!"

"And I will," she replied calmly, "I have a plan to get it tonight."

"You'd better hope this plan works," he warned, "I want that elixir in my hand exactly twenty-four hours from now, which means there's no time for a plan B."

"No problem," Patricia smiled shakily over the phone, "I'll see you then."

"Yes, you will," he remarked ominously.


	17. Friendly Fire

"Watch out!"

Nina jumped out of the way as Alfie ran by, clutching a blue light-saber in his hands. A second later, a sopping wet upperclassman bolting after him screaming, "You're dead Lewis!"

She shook her head in disbelief and opened the door to the Anubis house, leaving it open in case Alfie needed a quick escape.

"We need to talk."

Nina watched curiously as Jerome wandered down the stairs toward her, determination set in his stare, "Um, Fabian is supposed to help me with some homework right now, so..."

"I'm sure lover-boy can wait a few minutes," he remarked, "Please."

She hesitated. On one hand, she was a little suspicious that _he _was the black bird Sarah had so hauntingly warned her about. But on the other, she had never heard him say the word please the entire time she's been here, "Alright."

For a second she thought a small smile flickered across Jerome's face, but it was gone before she could double-check. He led her down the boys' hallway and leaned against the wall, "You need to talk to Patricia."

She frowned, "What?"

He glared at her, obviously finding her reaction too loud, "Look, she's been up in her room since ten this morning and I can't get her to come out, no matter how many pranks I threaten to pull."

"Did you ever try asking her nicely?" She wondered sarcastically, "And what makes you think she'll listen to me?"

"I know you two got in some fight last night," he replied, "So I'm assuming that's why she's suddenly harder to reach than the Queen."

"Wait, how do you know we got into a fight?" Nina asked questioningly.

Jerome's eyes widened slightly, looking like he had let something big slip, "It doesn't matter," he said, quickly gaining back his composure, "Just fix it."

..

Patricia flipped her phone open and close aimlessly, trying not to scream in frustration. In less than twenty hours, Renee expected to have the elixir in his greedy, unforgiving hands, and she still had no clue how she was going to get it. Heck, she didn't even know what the stupid thing looked like.

"Patricia?" There was a soft knock on her bedroom door, "Can I come in?"

"Um," she glanced around the room hastily, "Yeah, sure."

Nina stood at the door way hesitantly, "Are you okay? Jerome says you've been up here for four hours."

"Jerome's just peeved that I left him with all our chores," Patricia looked down at her phone, "Why, do you need something?"

"I want to help you," Nina announced, surprising Patricia, "I'll get the elixir for you."

Patricia narrowed her eyes skeptically, "And how do I know you're telling the truth?"

"You don't," Nina replied bluntly, walking back out of the room, "Guess you'll just have to trust the American."

..

"Alright," Patricia scanned outside the kitchen door and shut it, "The coast is clear. Now, what's this plan of yours?"

Nina checked out the other door before turning to Patricia, "Okay, so Renee wants Victor's elixir, right?"

Patricia nodded, "Right."

"So, if we sneak down into the cellar and get a sample of the elixir, we can make a fake copy of it to give to him," Nina handed Patricia an empty water bottle, "I'll stay up here to make sure no one comes in, and if it's not safe to come back up I'll knock on the stove, okay?"

"Wait," Patricia glanced at the passageway a little anxiously, "How do you know Victor's not down there?"

"He's at a meeting with Mr. Sweet at the the school for the night," Fabian walked into the kitchen, grinning, "Ready?"

Nina leaned against the kitchen counter as they squirmed down into the cellar, "Good luck guys."

..

"Okay Patricia, don't touch anything," Fabian instructed, "We're just going to get the sample and get out."

"I know Fabian, I'm not a five year-old," Patricia uncapped the water bottle Nina had given her, "Which one is the elixir?"

He inspected each of the beakers carefully, lifting up the one with the least in it, "This one."

She looked at it doubtfully, "Are you sure? It seems a bit empty for something that holds eternal life."

He nodded, "Victor said it had 'so little left'. And it was this color...I think."

"You think?" Patricia muttered something under her breath that Fabian decided was probably best he didn't hear, and dumped a drop of the liquid into the bottle, "Alright, let's get back up before Trudy starts wondering where we are."

Fabian placed the beaker back on the table and followed her over to the passageway, "Wait, do you hear that?"

"No," she turned back to the cellar, "What's it sound like?"

"Like...chanting," he frowned and looked around the room, "I think it's coming from over there." He walked back over to the table and picked up one of the other beakers, a strange look coming over his face.

"Uh, Fabian, remember 'don't touch anything'?," Patricia said warily, "What are you doing?"

..

Nina head a slam from the other room and looked up from her book quickly. Amber came walking into the room a second later, an empty glass of juice in her hand.

"Amber?" Nina frowned at her friend curiously, "Are you okay?"

"Trudy told me Mara and Mick went to town on a romantic date tonight," Amber sniffled and pulled her hair into a tight ponytail, "What are you doing in here?"

Nina ignored her question, "Do you want to talk about it? It must be hard seeing them together."

"I'll be fine," Amber insisted firmly, "Now, what's going on?"

"Fabian and Patricia are getting a sample of the elixir," Nina explained, "And then we're going to make a fake version of it for her to give to that private investigator."

"Ugh, that cellar gives me the creeps," Amber shuddered and hopped up on the counter-top, "How long have they been down there?"

"About ten minutes," Nina glanced at the open stove, "They'll probably be up any minute."

Suddenly, there was a sharp shout from the passageway and Nina jumped up, "What was that?"

Amber shrugged, just as confused as Nina was, "It sounded like Patricia."

Nina grabbed a flashlight from the drawer and turned to Amber, "Stay here; I'm going to go see what's going on."

"Wait, you can't just go down there unarmed," Amber handed her a wooden spoon from the counter, "Here, take this."

Nina glanced down at the spoon, "Thanks; if there's a vampire down there I'm all set." She crawled down the passageway as quick as she could, listening for any more sounds. When she finally reached the end, she pulled the door open cautiously, "Guys, what's going on?"

Patricia appeared in front of her, "We were heading back upstairs, but Fabian thought he heard something. So now he's just staring at that bottle."

Nina walked over to Fabian, noticing the troubled look on his face, "What is it?"

"I've seen this before," he remarked, setting the beaker down on the table, "In the downstairs bathroom."


	18. Know Thy Enemy

**Author's Note: **So tonight is the end of _House of Anubis?_ Or is it just season 1 ending? I'm so confused! Haha

* * *

Patricia walked into the kitchen, wrinkling her nose in disgust, "What is that smell?"

"That is the delicious combination of," Nina glanced down at a notepad laid down on the counter in front of her, "Apple juice, blueberry-scented body wash, and an entire bottle of vinegar." She held up the mock elixir proudly, "What do you think?"

"Looks good to me," Patricia nodded her approval, "Are you two almost ready? Renee wants to meet in half-an-hour."

"Just putting a few finishing touches on," Amber paused, tilting her head to look at the bottle, "Do you think a bow is too much?"

Patricia raised her eyebrows at the suggestion, "Uh, yeah."

"Nina," Fabian appeared at the doorway, "Could I talk with you for a minute?"

"Sure," she wiped her hands on a dish towel and followed him into the hall, "What's up?"

"I was reading the clue again this morning, and I think I finally figured out what it means," he explained excitedly, "It's a mirror!"

"'The only place where left is right. Admired all the time, though never for who I truly am,'" she recited out loud, grinning after a moment, "Fabian, you're amazing!"

He blushed lightly, "It was nothing. Do you know which mirror it could be though?"

She shook her head, "I guess we'll just have to check all of them. We could start when I get back-"

"Nina!" Patricia shouted from the other room, "We need to go!"

"Patricia," they heard Amber scold, "You're interrupting their moment!"

Nina laughed awkwardly, "I better go before Patricia drags me out."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you guys?" He asked her, frowning worriedly.

"We'll be fine," she assured him, "Amber said she's been practicing her kick-boxing moves all morning."

Fabian laughed, "Well that's reassuring." He looked at her thoughtfully, "Just be careful."

She smiled and grabbed her coat, "I always am."

..

Where is this guy?" Amber asked whiningly, "_Degrassi_ starts in ten minutes and I forgot to set the cable."

"Amber keep your voice down," Patricia hushed from her spot in the clearing, "I can hear you from down here."

"I'm sure he'll be here any minute," Nina replied, trying to calm Amber down, "We just have to be patient until he does."

Amber sighed and pulled a magazine out from her purse, "Fine."

"What does he look like anyway?" Nina whispered curiously, scanning around for any sign of him.

"I don't know," Amber shrugged, "Kind of like the latest James Bond. Except meaner...and older."

There was a quiet rustling from in front of the hill Nina and Amber were hiding on. "Patricia," Renee slipped out stealthily from behind one of the trees, "I'll admit, I didn't think you were going to show."

"Well my friends mean a lot to me," Patricia remarked carefully, "I'll do whatever I can to help them. Even if it means dealing with demanding cry-babies like you."

"Believe me, I've heard it all before sweetheart," his eyes landed on the glass bottle in her hands, "So shall we get on with our deal?"

Patricia nodded, "Here's your elixir," she handed it to him without hesitation, "I hope you realize how hard it was to get that. I had to convince my friend to go get it for me, and then-"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" He exploded, smashing the bottle against the ground, "This is a forged copy! And a pretty poor one I should add."

"Hey!" Amber replied, offended at his insult, "I spent two whole hours on that!"

"Shh," Nina said worriedly, "We have to get down there before this gets out of control."

Downhill, Renee glared at Patricia viciously, "Obviously you can't follow one simple direction. For your sake though, I'd hope your friends are smarter than you are." He yanked her arm roughly, causing her bag to slide off her shoulder, "Let's go."

Patricia kept her mouth shut as he dragged her along through the woods, even though she instinctively wanted to scream for help. If Nina and Amber came down to rescue her, they would not only get kidnapped too, but Renee would have Nina's locket right in his wicked hands.

..

Nina started down the hill quickly as Patricia disappeared from their sight, "We need to go help her!"

Amber's arm shot out to stop her, "We won't be much help tied next to her in who-knows-where. We should go tell Trudy."

"You're right," Nina winced as a car started up in the distance, "Hurry."

They tore through the woods rapidly; adrenaline and fear pumping through them as they did, turning the usual fifteen-minute walk into a five-minute, heart-pounding sprint. When they arrived at the house, Nina shoved the door open swiftly and rushed into the foyer.

"Whoa." Nina bumped into Fabian frenziedly, "What's going on?"

"He got her Fabian!" She exclaimed, her voice hoarse, "He took her right in front of us!"

"What?" Fabian wrapped his arms around her consolingly as she cried into his shoulder.

"Renee knew the elixir was a fake," Amber explained, her own face stained with fresh tears, "And then he got really mad, and drove off with Patricia. We couldn't stop him!"

"Where did he take her?" Fabian asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Amber replied, "But I've seen enough horror movies to get a pretty good idea."

"Alright, take Nina into the living room and I'll go and get Trudy." He hurried off into the kitchen, emerging a minute later with Trudy at his heels.

"Oh sweeties, what's wrong?" Trudy frowned, taking in their frazzled appearances.

"Patricia, Nina and I were walking around the woods by school when this man came up to us and started shouting at Patricia about something," Amber hiccuped in between her sobs, "Then he took her! And we don't know where they went!"

"Patricia's been kidnapped?" Trudy repeated, her eyes widening in alarm, "Oh dear; Victor!"

Victor shut his office door and strolled down the stairs, looking extremely annoyed at the interruption, "What is the matter? I told you, I'm very busy today."

Trudy placed her arm comfortingly around Amber, "I understand, but the girls just saw Patricia get kidnapped. We'll need to call the police right away."

Victor rolled his eyes, completely unconcerned, "Let's calm down Trudy; it's not like Patricia hasn't disappeared before. She probably snuck off to another rock concert or something."

"We're not covering for her," Amber asserted, "We saw it happen."

"Did you, Ms. Millington?" Victor questioned doubtfully.

"Here," Nina stood up angrily and handed Victor Renee's private investigator card, "He dropped this when he took Patricia." She glared at him defiantly, "Still think we're just covering for her?"

Victor glanced down at the business card, a look of surprise on his face, "Well, this certainly changes things."


	19. Two Truths and A Lie

**Author's Note: **How awesome was that finale? I loved when Fabian saved Nina from Rufus-it was so romantic! My favorite line had to be Jerome's though, "It would be the American, wouldn't it?"

* * *

Patricia pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned her head back, recounting the number of ancient-looking ceiling tiles for the fifth time that morning. Just as she reached the seventh tile, the door groaned open and Renee strolled in.

"Morning," he greeted sneeringly.

She looked over at him, a bored expression on her face, "I'm hungry."

"I'll get you something to eat soon," he assured dismissively, "But first, I want to tell you a story."

Patricia scoffed, "A story?"

"Yes," he pulled a chair from against the wall and sat down across from her, "Don't worry, it's quite interesting. You see, once upon a time there was a young man named Rufus, and he had a really good friend named Sarah. Sarah trusted Rufus with all her heart, and one day she decided to tell him about a secret elixir her other friend was working on. This particular elixir had the ability to keep someone living forever, so long as they continue to drink it for the rest of their lives."

"You mean like an immortal?" Patricia inquired.

Renee shook his head, "No, not exactly; you'd need the cup for that. Anyway, Sarah didn't want eternal life and all the promises that came with it. But Rufus, now _he_ wanted it. He got close to the man with the elixir, but they soon got into a fight over what to do with it. The man banished Rufus immediately, and now he's been searching for the elixir ever since."

"Why are you tell me this?" She asked suspiciously.

"Because my name is not Renee Zeldman; it's Rufus Zeno." He sat her school bag down on the floor cryptically, "And you're going to get the elixir for me."

"How am I supposed to do that cuffed to a chair?" She shook her right hand for emphasize.

"Not you personally," he pulled her phone from his pocket and scrolled through it thoughtfully, "I'll tell you how this is going to work; I am going to call your friend with the elixir and arrange a meeting with them."

"I hope you have a plan B, because there's no way they'll agree to that," she smirked smugly.

He rolled his eyes at her, "You really don't get how this works do you? You're leverage. I tell them I have you kidnapped, and you'd be surprised at how easily they'll change their minds." He looked at her phone again, "So tell me, who is it? Amber? Alfie? Or maybe it's Nina; you've mentioned her before, haven't you?"

..

"Listen up everyone." Nina looked up from her breakfast as Victor wandered into the room, "I just got off the phone with Patricia's parents, and they said the man you two saw in the woods is Patricia's uncle, who works as a private investigator in the next town over. There's been a family emergency, and he took her home yesterday."

"Did they say when she'll be back?" Mara asked worriedly.

"A few days I'd assume," Victor looked directly at Nina, "So there's no need to worry, right Ms. Martin?"

Nina looked up at him fearfully, "Right."

"Well, that's a relief," Trudy smiled warmly as Victor stalked back to his office, "I don't see why they couldn't have called sooner though; gave us all quite a scare."

"Okay," Nina turned to Fabian as Mara and Alfie left to wash the dishes, "Now we definitely know something's up; why would Victor be lying about Renee?"

"Maybe they're friends," Amber suggested with a light shrug, "They're both obviously high up on the creep-scale."

Fabian shook his head, "They can't be friends; or else why would he have needed Patricia to steal Victor's elixir for him?"

Nina glanced uneasily at the empty seat Patricia normally filled, "I just hope she's okay."

"Me too," Amber sighed dramatically and stood up, "I'm starting to get worry lines from all this stress. I need to go shopping; do you want to come with me, Nins?"

"No thanks, I have some homework to do," Nina replied, "Have fun though."

Amber nodded and rushed out of the room happily, "Alfie, would you like to go into town with me?"

"So, what are you doing today?" Nina asked Fabian over Alfie's ecstatic cheers.

"Oh, um, actually," he blushed, "Since everybody's out, I was wondering if you'd want-"

"To look for the mirror?" She assumed, "That's a great idea! I'll go get my bag in case we find anything."

He watched as she dashed out of the room excitedly. "I was wondering if you'd like to go on a walk with me," he finished dejectedly under his breath.

..

"Does the name Renee Zeldman mean anything to you?"

Nina stopped outside Victor's office on her way downstairs, and crouched down under the window to hear what he was saying about Renee.

"How about the name Rufus Zeno?" Victor questioned, "Apparently, he's posing as a private investigator these days; and yesterday he kidnapped Ms. Williamson in front of her nosy friends."

"Why do you think?" He shouted angrily into the phone, "He knows the Chosen Hour is approaching, and he wants the elixir and the Chosen One!"

"It doesn't matter if he has the ankh pieces or not; we are not giving into any of his ridiculous demands," Victor remarked authoritatively, "Meet me in your office in five minutes, and do not tell Daphne about this. The last thing we need is her running off to save Patricia."

Nina stood up just as Victor stepped out of his office. "What are you doing out here, Ms. Martin?"

"Nothing, I, uh, just thought I saw a spider," she stomped her foot on the floor and smiled, "Got it."

Victor turned his back to her and locked his door, making sure she realized what he was doing, "I am doing you a favor by not having Trudy confine you to your room, but if I suspect even an ounce of mischief, there are worse punishments I can and will issue. Understand?"


	20. Long Way Back

Nina watched silently as Victor left the house. She hurried down the stairs when the door finally slammed shut. "Fabian, we have a problem!"

"Jeez," Jerome stepped out from his bedroom slyly, "What are we so worried about?"

She stopped, "Oh, um, I think I just figured out how they get the cream inside Twinkies."

Jerome chuckled amusedly, "You're a terrible liar, Nina."

"I don't-"

"Do you need something Jerome?" Fabian walked into the room, standing in front of Nina protectively.

Jerome glared at Fabian, "Just making sure Nina is following our dearest Victor's orders. Wouldn't want to break a nail scrubbing toilets, would we?"

"I'll be fine, thanks," Nina said firmly.

He looked at her skeptically, whispering as he passed by, "Watch your back."

Nina furrowed her forehead, glancing at Fabian as Jerome sauntered into the kitchen, "Okay, that was weird. Thanks for sticking up for me though."

Fabian smiled, "No problem. So, what did you want to tell me?"

"I heard Victor talking to someone on the phone about Renee, except he said his name was Rufus Zeno," Nina revealed, "And he mentioned something about a Chosen Hour, and how Rufus wants the elixir and the Chosen One."

Fabian frowned, knitting his brows together, "Wait, so Rufus already contacted Victor?"

"It didn't seem like he did," Nina paused, "This is going to sound crazy, but it sounded like they used to be friends."

"That would explain how Rufus knows about the elixir," he pointed out, "Maybe they had a falling-out and Victor kept the elixir."

"There's something else," Nina said softly, "Last time I visited Sarah, she said she used to have a friend named Rufus who 'gave into the temptation'."

"The temptation?" Fabian repeated confusedly, "Did she mean he drank the elixir?"

Nina shrugged, "That's what it sounded like." She glanced at the mirror in the hall, "Anyway, Victor left to go meet with whoever he was talking to, so now's our chance to look for the next clue without worrying about him lurking around."

Fabian walked over to the mirror near them, "Should we start with this one?"

"Actually," Nina remarked, "I have an idea."

..

Fabian stopped outside the door, "The bathroom?"

"I know it's not the most ideal place," Nina said, "But I've been thinking about what the layout of the house must've been in 1922, and this would've been the Frobisher-Smythe's bathroom...I think. Besides, it can't be as bad as the bathroom downstairs."

"Well that's true," he grinned, "Alright, just don't tell Mick I was in here."

Nina laughed, "Deal." She stepped into the tiny bathroom and swept some of Amber's make-up off the sink-counter, so they could take the mirror down.

Fabian moved past her and lifted the mirror off the wall, laying it on the floor carefully. "There's nothing on the back," he noted.

Nina scanned her eyes along the wall disappointedly, "There's nothing here either."

"Wait a second," Fabian walked over to the wall and knocked on it softly. He smiled at her, "It's hollow."

"No way!" She glanced around the bathroom eagerly, "How do we open it?"

"We could always smash it," he suggested jokingly. She shot him an unamused look, "Or not. Here, try your locket."

She nodded and looked at the wall, "I don't see a place it would fit."

He frowned, "How are we supposed to open it then?"

Nina started to shrug, before noticing a small light on the wall. She turned to Fabian, "Hey, can you shut the lights off for a minute?"

As soon as the room darkened, the light she'd glimpsed at before grew significantly brighter. Slowly, she pulled her necklace out and pressed it against the light. Almost instantly, it turned to the right and slid a section of the wall open.

"Okay," Fabian turned the lights back on, "That was unexpected. What's inside there?"

"Um...it looks like another puzzle piece." She pulled a note from out of the piece, "And a clue!"

Fabian looked more closely at the puzzle piece as she read the clue out loud, "The father of my father. Even broken, I'm still okay only twice a day."

Suddenly, Fabian's phone started ringing. He pulled it out from his pocket, and glanced down at the caller i.d., looking back at Nina bewilderingly, "It's Patricia."

..

"Is Patricia okay?"

Victor scowled as he entered Mr. Sweet's office, glaring infuriatedly at the headmaster, "What is she doing here?"

Mr. Sweet swiped at his forehead nervously, trying to absorb some of the sweat running down it, "Joy was just finishing up her lesson when you called, and now she refuses to leave until-"

"Where's Patricia?" Joy repeated.

"Rufus Zeno is out there somewhere, still as large a threat as ever, and you leave the Chosen One unprotected!" Victor shouted angrily at Mr. Sweet, ignoring Joy's frustrated questionings.

"Please Victor, I had no idea what was going on until you phoned me," Mr. Sweet explained quickly, "Just calm down. How are the students reacting to the news?"

"I've told them all that Patricia is fine, and not to worry about her," Victor announced, "And I've got my insider at the house keeping a special eye on Ms. Martin in case she decides to go snooping around for anything."

Joy stood up suddenly, "Excuse me; I have to go to the bathroom."

"Sit down, young lady," Victor instructed, "We're not letting you out of our sight."

"It's just down the hall; I'll be back in four minutes, tops." With that, she turned and walked out of the office before they could protest further.

..

Joy peered under each stall, checking for any loitering teachers. After looking under the last stall, she peeled off one of the loose floor tiles and picked up the cell phone hidden underneath.

"Hey, it's me," she whispered into the phone, "Have you seen Nina?"

"Yeah, I just saw her like a minute ago. Why?"

"We have a problem," she replied, "One of our friends is working for Victor."

"Joy, we knew this already. Remember the note you had me leave for her?"

"That was to warn her about the teachers, not one of you guys!" She said frustratedly, "Look, I have to get back before anyone gets suspicious. Just watch her more carefully, okay? Victor doesn't realize who she is yet, and we need to make sure it stays that way."

"Alright."

* * *

***Joy has someone working for her to! Is it Amber? Mick? Maybe it's even Fabian...**


	21. Fight or Flight

**Author's Note: **Only a few more chapters left! Thanks so much for all the reviews, please keep them coming (:

* * *

Fabian switched his phone to speaker, and laid it on the bathroom floor so Nina could listen in, "Hello?"

"Fabian Rutter?"

He glanced at Nina before responding, "Yes?"

"This is Rene Zeldman," the caller declared, "Your friend Patricia tells me you have something I'm looking for."

"I don't-"

"Let me guess, you don't know what I'm talking about, right?" Rufus sighed irritatedly, "Look, I don't have the time or patience to put up with your childish games; and I'd hate for poor Patricia to pay the price."

Nina tensed beside Fabian, "Don't hurt her."

"I won't," Rufus asserted, "Not yet, anyway. Just bring me the elixir, and you'll both be able to go free."

"Alright," Fabian agreed, "When do you want to do this?"

"I see no reason to deal," Rufus replied, "Tonight, at midnight. I'll text you directions later...Oh, and Fabian? I meant what I said-no funny business."

Fabian looked at Nina worriedly as he ended the call, "I think we should tell Victor."

She gaped at her, "What?"

"We could set Rufus up," he elaborated, "If I tell Victor the location Rufus gives me, he'll go after Rufus himself."

"That won't help us find Patricia though," Nina remarked, "Victor wasn't concerned about her at all, remember?"

He sighed, "You're right; it was a stupid idea."

She smiled encouragingly at him, "Hey, if Victor wasn't a crazy, kid-hating immortal, I'm sure it'd be a great idea."

He laughed and helped her up, "Thanks."

Nina shuffled through her bag as they left the bathroom, noticing the bottle of elixir laying untouched at the bottom, "I might have a plan, but we'll need Amber's help."

..

Fabian glanced down at his phone, re-reading the message Rufus had sent him, "The warehouse should be close by."

"Was that a wolf?" Amber stiffened fearfully, "I think that was a wolf."

"Amber, we're a mile from the road," Nina reminded her, "Wolves wouldn't come this close."

"Alright guys," Fabian pointed at a small building a few miles away, "That's the warehouse up there."

"Ugh," Amber shuddered, "It's even creepier than I imagined."

"Okay, let's go over the plan," Nina instructed, "Fabian, you'll go and distract Rufus while Amber and I sneak around back to find Patricia."

Fabian nodded, "And then what?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet," she admitted truthfully.

"I brought pepper-spray," Amber announced helpfully. She noticed their shocked expressions, "What? Did you really think I was just going to rely on Fabian's muscle-power? No offense Fabes."

"How could I be offended by that?" He muttered sarcastically, "We should get going; Rufus is expecting me in five minutes."

..

"Fabian," Nina pulled him aside when they arrived at the warehouse. "Here, take this."

He looked down at the glass bottle she'd handed him, "What is it?"

"It's the sample of the elixir we got," she whispered hurriedly.

"What?" He exclaimed, "I can't bring this in there, it's too risky."

"If Rufus finds out you're tricking him, he might hurt you," she said, "And I won't let that happen."

"Alright." He hid the elixir in his coat, "Be careful, yeah?"

She nodded and headed around the building with Amber.

Fabian waited until Nina was completely out of sight before knocking on the rusty, metal door. It slid open a second later, and Rufus stood in the doorway.

"You're right on time," he noted, impressed, "Now, did you bring me the elixir?"

"Where's Patricia?" Fabian asked, trying to get a glimpse over Rufus's shoulder.

"You know Fabian, I've heard quite a bit about you," Rufus stepped outside, locking the door behind him, "Specifically, that you fancy a girl named Nina."

Fabian tried to keep his face neutral, "What are you getting at?"

"Do you know what that elixir does?" Rufus questioned, "The power it could give to a young man like yourself? Eternal life...eternal looks."

"Ahh!"

Rufus turned around wildly, "Who is that?" He grabbed Fabian's backpack roughly, "I don't have time for this-give me my elixir!"

"Hey, let go of him!" Nina ran out from the shadows, her necklace flying out from underneath her coat.

Rufus narrowed his eyes at the locket, "Where did you get that?"

She grabbed the necklace defensively, "It was a gift. Why?"

"Oh, this is too good," Rufus laughed menacingly, "Those idiots think they've got the Chosen One, when in fact, she's right in front of me."

Nina took a shaky step away from him, "What are you talking about?"

"Tell me; when is your birthday?" Rufus inquired, "July seventh, perhaps? Born at seven a.m.?"

She hesitated slightly, "How do you know that?"

He smirked leeringly, "Sorry, but you're going to have to come with me."

Fabian stepped between Nina and Rufus, "You're not taking her anywhere."

Rufus glared at him, "You don't know who you're dealing with right now; I've lived longer than your great-grandparents have been alive." He moved to grab Nina again, but fell slack onto the ground suddenly.

Amber stood over Rufus, a wooden oar clutched in her hand, "That's for calling me ignorant."

"What happened back there?" Fabian asked them, "Did you find Patricia?"

"Were you that worried about me?" Patricia wondered teasingly, coming to stand next to Amber. She looked down at Rufus unsympathetically, "What are we going to do with him?"

"He'll wake up soon," Nina remarked, "We should tie him up and let the police deal with the rest."

"I'll do it," Fabian volunteered, "You call the police, Nina."

"So that's Nina," Rufus commented woozily as Fabian tied his hands together, "You better kiss her while you can; they'll find her soon enough."


End file.
